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Cheap shot

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Cheap shot: an unfair or opportunistic criticism or attack, especially against someone vulnerable; the sporting metaphor implies a violation of fair play and the ethics of honest contest.

Detailed Definition
Cheap shot means an unfair, cruel, or dishonourable attack, especially one made when the target is vulnerable. In poetry, it can be used in dramatic monologues, satire, political verse, or poems of argument to expose ethical failure in speech or action. The phrase carries a sense of pettiness: the attack may wound, but it lacks nobility. It can apply to insults, betrayals, public humiliation, or emotional manipulation. Its modern idiomatic force helps distinguish honest conflict from cowardly aggression.
Example
Example in poetry:
A satirical poem might condemn a cheap shot aimed at a grieving rival; In dramatic dialogue, cheap shot marks an insult that is unfair rather than clever; The phrase suits poems about cruelty disguised as wit; A poet could use it to reveal a speaker's lack of generosity.
Additional Notes
A cheap shot is an unfair attack, especially one made when the target is vulnerable. In poetry it can reveal cruelty, cowardice, or rhetorical dishonesty. The phrase has sporting and combative associations, making it useful in poems about argument, public debate, bullying, or satire. Students should distinguish sharp wit from a cheap shot: the idiom condemns not criticism itself, but unfairness.
Also Known As
unfair criticism
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