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Reader question: What does this sentence - he takes pot shots at the president whenever he gets a chance - mean? What are pot shots? My comments: Pot shots are random shots a shooter takes at his prey, without taking firm aim at a particular target. In the above example, when he (a reporter for example), takes pot shots at the president, he criticizes the president’s every move without perhaps giving strong evidence to back up the criticism every time. And the fact that he does it “whenever he gets a chance” suggests that he may not always be fair. Anyways, “pot shot” originally comes from the gunshots a hunter took at a flock of birds or a pack of deer. In the old days when hunters hunt for food, he would take shots like that – at the group rather than any individual prey – because he didn’t care which one bird or deer he hit so long as he hit one. In other words, his shots were not aimed at, say, an Olympic record but simple for the pot, the cooking pot, that is. Hence, pot shots became synonymous with random, inaccurate shots. Metaphorically, it means giving criticism without careful thought. And as a result, such criticism may not be entirely accurate and fair. Here are two recent media examples of people taking pot shots: 1. Just as South Africa opened their World Cup with a goal that will be remembered forever, so England, as is their wont, contrived to open theirs with a goalkeeping blunder that will never be forgotten. No sooner had Fabio Capello placed his confidence in Robert Green than his judgment was mocked by the sort of bungle no professional footballer can comfortably watch, an unforced error that allowed the United States back into a game on which England appeared to have a comfortable grip after Steven Gerrard’s early goal. | 
