🔫 Shoot the Works: Throwing Everything at the Wall and Going All In 🚀
Definition:
Shoot the works: An idiom meaning to make an all-out effort or to risk everything in an attempt to achieve something.
Similar Terms & Expressions:
- Bet the farm
- Go for broke
- Leave no stone unturned
- Pull out all the stops
- Give it your all
Related Proverbs:
- “Fortune favors the bold.”
- “No guts, no glory.”
- “All in for a penny, all in for a pound.”
Synonyms:
- Devote, Expend, Risk everything, Invest fully
Antonyms:
- Hold back, Play it safe, Conserve, Maintain a reserve
Witty Quotes:
“Go big or go home.” - Unknown
“If you’re not going all the way, why go at all?” - Joe Namath
In Literature:
- “Within an hour he hoped to shoot the works,” Lawrence Treat, in his 1943 mystery, O as in Omen.
Suggested Literature & Media:
- Books:
- Risky Business by Suzanne Ferriss
- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
- Movies:
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
- Songs:
- “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
- “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac
- Poetry:
- “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
- “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
Thought-Provoking:
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” - Mark Zuckerberg
📚 Dive into More Fun Idioms 💭
### Which of these means "to take a high risk"?
- [ ] To feather one's nest
- [x] To bet the farm
- [ ] To spill the beans
- [ ] To chew the fat
> **Explanation:** "To bet the farm" means to risk everything on a single venture. "To feather one's nest" means to enrich oneself at the expense of others, "To spill the beans" means to reveal a secret, and "To chew the fat" means to chat idly.
### Which phrase implies no reservation in effort?
- [x] Pull out all the stops
- [ ] Keep it under wraps
- [ ] Beat around the bush
- [ ] Let the cat out of the bag
> **Explanation:** "Pull out all the stops" means to use all resources and possibilities without reservation. "Keep it under wraps" means to keep something secret, "Beat around the bush" means to avoid discussing something directly, and "Let the cat out of the bag" means to reveal a secret.
### True or False: 'Leaving nothing on the table' is another way to say 'shoot the works'?
- [x] True
- [ ] False
> **Explanation:** True! "Leaving nothing on the table" means to utilize all available resources, similar to "shoot the works." It suggests an uncompromising, all-encompassing effort.
Thank you for joining this exhilarating expedition into the realm of “shoot the works” and its courageous cousins. 📝📚✨
Remember, the next time you find yourself at a crossroads, dare to “shoot the works” and perhaps, fortune will indeed favor your bravery. Until then, keep words close and meanings even closer. Farewell!
Yours linguistically, E. L. Lexigrams
