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Shot in the arm

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

An encouraging boost of energy, confidence, or morale; medical metaphor describing injection providing immediate stimulation, applied to anything revitalizing spirits or motivation.

Detailed Definition
Shot in the arm means a stimulus, boost, encouragement, or revitalising influence. In poetry, the idiom can describe renewed confidence, economic revival, emotional support, artistic inspiration, or literal medical treatment. Its bodily image suggests something injected that quickly changes energy or condition. A poet may use it in modern contexts of medicine, work, politics, or morale. The phrase is useful for showing how a small intervention can revive a tired system, though the effect may be temporary.
Example
Example in poetry:
A social poem might say the new library gave the town a shot in the arm; In a grief poem, one letter from a friend is a shot in the arm for a tired heart; The phrase means a boost of energy, hope, or support; A poet can use it for renewal.
Additional Notes
A shot in the arm means an encouraging boost, stimulus, or renewal of energy. The medical image suggests injection, treatment, and revived vitality. In poetry, it can describe hope after despair, money for a failing project, praise for an artist, or social reform. Students should note that the phrase is bodily and modern: encouragement enters like medicine. It pairs well with veins, needles, recovery, and the ambiguous relationship between help and dependency.
Also Known As
boost
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