| To a mechanic, a 'shot' fanbelt was a worn one. To a bartender, a 'shot' was a one-ounce glass of whiskey. To a decathlon champion, a 'shot' was an iron ball to be thrown as far as he could throw it. To a tennis player, a 'shot' was what he stroked over the net. To a junkie or a physician, a 'shot' was an injection by hypodermic syringe. To a motion-picture director, a 'shot' was any given camera setup. And to Morris Bloom, a 'shot' was something fired from a gun you could buy off a shelf like a ripe banana. I was very happy I wasn't learning English as a foreign language; I was far too old to be taking a shot at such a formidable task. |
Ed McBain (1984). Jack and the Beanstalk. Sphere Books, p. 125.