open fire

Idioms  

1. Begin a verbal attack, as in In her second letter to the editor she opened fire, saying the reporter had deliberately misquoted her. This idiom alludes to discharging a firearm. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

After the incident, Homeland Security officials released a brief statement that said the agent opened fire “in order to protect his life and that of others.”

From Los Angeles Times

Prosecutors announced the decision Tuesday afternoon, releasing a report that cleared the officers involved of wrongdoing when they opened fire.

From Los Angeles Times

These guarantees would be “considered void” if Ukraine “invades Russia or opens fire at Russian territory without provocation,” the Kyiv Independent reports.

From The Wall Street Journal

Williams was on a mission near the peninsula’s north when he saw seven of the Soviet jets appear and eventually open fire, according to a Defense Department account.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hearing Nat King Cole croon about chestnuts roasting on an open fire dozens of times is one of the many reminders that fireplaces are luxuries most of us don’t have.

From Salon

Related Words

• barrage
• batter
• besiege
• blast
• blitz
• bomb
• harass
• hound
• pester
• strafe