sure as shooting
1
8.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
sin duda
- She knew that it would take more than a new house to create a new life, but she also knew, sure as shooting, they couldn't do it in this house.
Examples
-
She will help you, sure as shooting.
-
They could sure as shooting mutate from one life to the next, too.
Fiction book (1998) -
I got something you want, and you sure as shooting got something I want.
-
Something goes wrong, that little boy's dead, sure as shooting.
-
He'll snap at it, sure as shooting.
-
I will be diverted, sure as shooting.
Academic text (1993) -
You will find the answer, sure as shooting.
-
They will arrive on time, sure as shooting.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Showing that something is true or will happen without any doubt
∞
1.0
Completely and without any doubt
∞
1.0
To say certainly or definitely
∞
1.0
Without any doubt
946
1.0
Sure to happen or be true
700
2.0
Without any doubt
515
1.8
Shows that something is almost certainly true, often before saying something different
104
1.3
To be completely sure and have no doubt
58
2.7
Shows that something happens exactly as expected
19
4.7
Without any doubt and with confidence
7
3.0
Completely sure with no chance of being wrong
7
2.3
Says that something is certainly true
5
9.9
You can be certain it is true
3
4.6
In a way that shows there is no doubt
1
8.8
Certain to happen without any doubt
Completely sure in a strong, playful way
Completely certain that something is true
Completely certain that something is true
Says that something will definitely happen or is true
Certain to happen
Antonyms
How Certain
- Offensive
5
9.9
- Informal
1
8.2
- Archaic
- Informal
1
8.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The core meaning relies on 'sure' (certain), which a B1 learner will know, and the simile pattern 'as ... as ...' signals an intensifier; however 'shooting' (discharge of a gun) does not transparently contribute to the sense of absolute certainty. Because the phrase is an idiomatic intensifier where the role of 'shooting' is metaphorical and not directly predictable from the parts, it is only partially transparent to learners.
Etymology
The idiom sure as shooting may come from old hunting talk. When a hunter aimed and the shot hit the target, the result felt certain, so the image of shooting came to mean something is 'without any doubt'.