{"id":8764,"date":"2022-01-11T07:06:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T06:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=96521"},"modified":"2022-01-11T07:36:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T06:36:08","slug":"why-do-we-say-shot-across-the-bows","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/why-do-we-say-shot-across-the-bows\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do we say \u2018shot across the bows\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Abigail Whyte\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 11 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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To give someone a warning of imminent severe action is referred to as giving them a \u2018shot across the bows\u2019 \u2013 a phrase that, unsurprisingly, comes from the history of warfare. The \u2018bows\u2019 in question were found at the front of a ship, essentially the \u2018shoulders\u2019 of the vessel and the phrase first appeared during the 18th century.<\/p>\n

Sending a shot across the bows was a naval technique introduced at a time when the British navy ruled the seas and wars were fought not just on land but from the decks of mighty tall ships. The idea was not to actually fire on the ship, but to send a cannon ball near enough to signal them, force them to stop or let them know you\u2019re ready for battle.<\/p>\n