rifle shot
- noun
- /ˈraɪfəl ʃɑt/
- Specialized
:
alcance de tiro
- From his position on the hill, he could see the target clearly; it was well within rifle shot distance.
Examples
-
They heard elk trumpeting and had weeks of the rifle-shot impact from the clash of rutting mountain goats.
Fiction book (1993) -
The hunter carefully aimed at a deer that was within rifle shot range.
-
After checking his equipment, he ensured that the animal was within rifle shot before he pulled the trigger.
Synonyms
7
7.0
To be able to shoot to a certain distance
The farthest distance at which a rifle can hit a target accurately
How Far
- Specialized
7
6.9
- Specialized
14
5.9
- Specialized
268
2.1
28
6.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is directly compositional: 'rifle' (a firearm) + 'shot' (the act or projectile) yields the idea of a shot fired from a rifle and, by extension, the distance that shot can travel. There is no strong idiomatic or metaphorical shift here, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Rifle shot used for distance comes from hunters and soldiers: if a target is close enough for a rifle bullet to reach, it is within rifle shot. That's why it means 'within the distance a rifle can reach'.