rim shot
Americannoun
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a drum beat made by hitting the rim and the head of a drum with a drumstick at the same time.
A rim shot can be used to add a more driving beat to the song.
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the sound of a beat struck on both the rim and head of a drum followed by a cymbal crash, used to signal that a joke has been made, as on a television program.
The movie wisely acknowledges that the laughs are better served with a wink and a nod than a rim shot and a laugh track.
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Basketball. a shot that touches the rim of the hoop.
A rim shot that didn't land lost them the game.
Etymology
Origin of rim shot
First recorded in 1930–35; 1940–45 rim shot for def. 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A sort of an inhale, exhale moment, like a rim shot to punctuate the line.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2022
Though some of Howard’s punchlines should come with a rim shot and a reminder to try the veal, for a team that has been wallowing in stagnation, his efforts have been appreciated by Brooks.
From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2018
Sabath, like most contemporaneous studio rats, is equal parts songwriter and producer, as adept at inventing new melodic hooks as he is at perfecting the timbre of a rim shot.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 19, 2016
Cue the rim shot, light the applause sign.
From Slate • Jun. 19, 2013
The music grew like a fog around the crowd, and then, with only a sly rim shot for warning, the drums kicked in full thrust.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
