Shoot first, ask questions later

Also found in: Acronyms

0.01 sec.

Shoot first, ask questions later.

Prov. Assume that everyone you encounter is hostile to you.; Take action, even though you do not know enough to be sure if it is the right action. If the foreman saw that one of the workers was working slowly, he didn't stop to find out if the worker was sick or unhappy; he just fired him. He believed in shooting first and asking questions later.

See also: ask, later, question, shoot

How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Email
Feedback

Idioms browser

? Full browser

shoot
shoot a place up
shoot bolt
shoot cookies
shoot daggers at
shoot down
shoot down in flames
Shoot first, ask questions later
shoot for
shoot from the hip
shoot hoops
shoot in the foot
shoot load
shoot mouth off
shoot oneself in the foot

Idioms and phrases

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup \| Partner with us

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.