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to shoot a question

to shoot a question

1 3.7
To ask a question quickly and directly
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
: hacer una pregunta
  • Consulting his yellow sheet, the Prime Minister shot questions at I) avan.

Examples

  • Clay pauses as his mother shoots questions at him.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • "He shot a question to Jeeves, reveling in the restored freedom of using a neural implant.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • When he told Schwartz about times when a lot of hours passed without his knowing it, like when he'd sat with that sheep, or about drinking at least a canteen of Mr. Mac's white lightning every day for the past few years, Schwartz began scribbling and shooting questions at him.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The teacher encouraged students to shoot a question if they were confused about the material.

  • During the meeting, I decided to shoot a question to clarify the project timeline.

  • As the discussion progressed, he felt comfortable enough to shoot a question about the new policy.

Synonyms

to ask
vsto shoot a question
∞ 1.0

To request information or an answer from someone

is more sudden and spontaneous instead of routine information seeking
to question
vsto shoot a question
570 1.0

To ask someone questions to get information

is a single quick and direct act rather than a series to test knowledge
to query
vsto shoot a question
18 3.7

To ask a person a question to show doubt or get information

is more direct and spontaneous rather than showing doubt or careful inquiry
to fire away
vsto shoot a question
  • Informal
11 5.6

Start asking questions or speaking freely when allowed

is more spontaneous and direct rather than needing permission to start
to lob a question
vsto shoot a question
  • Informal
6.5

To ask a casual question to start a conversation or break the ice

is more direct and immediate instead of casual or nonchalant

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

How Direct

to blurt out
  • Informal
42 3.9
to shoot a question
  • Informal
1 3.7
to ask
∞ 1.0
to pose
339 3.4
to inquire
  • Formal
16 3.7

Surface Forms

shoot a question infinitive
shooting a question present participle
shoots a question third person singular
shot a question past participle

Morphology

shoot + a + question

The verb 'shoot' is being used metaphorically to mean 'utter or launch quickly', so a learner who knows 'shoot' and 'question' can often infer 'ask a question quickly or directly' but the sense relies on an extended, idiomatic use of 'shoot' rather than strict compositionality. This projectile/send metaphor occurs in other English phrases (e.g. 'shoot me a message') but is language-specific and not fully predictable without exposure, making the expression only partially transparent.

Etymology

Shoot a question may come from the quick action of shooting a gun, making a picture of sending a question fast and directly at someone. So, it now means 'to ask a question' quickly or without hesitation.