long shot
nounEtymology From long + shot. The term arose from the accuracy of early naval guns, which were effective only at close range and unlikely to hit the mark at any great distance.
1
A shot fired at a distant target.
- "It is of course a most foolish thing twice to take a long shot in a capercailzie wood, as you know," said the captain, appealing to me; "but the last time I had no choice, because I heard that villainous Andreas stalking the bird at the same time."1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 74:
2
Idiomatic Something unlikely; something that has little chance of happening or working; long odds.
- We can try your plan, but it's a long shot and it probably won't work.
- A long shot, it may be, at immortality, but longer ones have hit; or Guido Fawkes, William Tell, and Samuel Pepys were forgotten now.1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
1 more example
- His reign in Paris — full of flexed biceps, forehand winners and underrated court craft — is one of the great achievements in any sport, and though a 15th title is a long shot at this late stage, all we know for certain is that Nadal will not be winning it this year.2023 May 18, Christopher Clarey, “Even as He’s Out, Rafael Nadal Will Always Be a Part of the French Open”, in The New York Times:
3
Broadcasting, Film, Media, Television A master shot, the primary wide shot of a scene into which the closeups will be edited later.
4
Broadcasting, Film, Media, Television Synonym of long take; a single, continuous shot that lasts for an unusually long duration without any cuts.
- Synonyms
- establishing shot, wide shot
- Related terms
- by a long shot