# shoot, fire, play from the hip



## thesulah

to play from the hip

What does this expression mean in french?
Has it something to do with "spontanéité"?
Thanks

*Moderator note: *multiple threads merged to create this one


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## joleen

I think the expression " a shot from the hip" means a spontaneous reaction, so your guess seems correct. What's the context?


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## Avignonais

To *shoot* from the hip, means to make decisions quickly and based on first reactions, as opposed to thinking out the decisions. The sense here is not as negative as in "hasty decision" which implies "wrong decision because it was too quick". 

I believe it comes from the image of a cowboy shooting without taking the gun out of the holster.

"prendre une décision sans réfléchir", sponatanée, impéteuse,


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## thesulah

Thank you both for your help!
It's basically what I was thinking... "prendre une décision sans réfléchir" fits well in the context.
Thanks again!


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## world_traveler_84

Comment dit-on "to shoot from the hip" en français? C'est-à-dire reagir rapidement et souvent sans penser. Par exemple, "He was known by his teachers as shooting from the hip when critiqued." Est-ce qu'il y a une expression idiomatique? Merci en avance.


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## nhat

does it mean he overreacts?that he gets angry easily?

peut etre prendre la mouche rapidement
reagir sans reflechir


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## tilt

We have an expression which may correspond : _démarrer au quart de tour_.


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## world_traveler_84

Et qu'est-ce ça veut dire? Pouvez-vous l'expliquer? Merci!


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## tilt

It comes from mechanics. To start a car up, you turn the key the quarter of a turn. If the car works well, the engine starts at the very first time.
Then, _démarrer au quart de tour _means exactly what you asked for : _reagir rapidement et souvent sans penser._
Did I answer your request ?


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## world_traveler_84

Oui, très bien! Merci.


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## LARSAY

"Démarrer au quart de tour" is perfect. For your info, "shooting from the hip" is _du tir instinctif, _which means that you shoot on a split second without aiming (hence the expression)


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## tilt

tilt said:


> It comes from mechanics. To start a car up, you turn the key the quarter of a turn. If the car works well, the engine starts at the very first time.
> Then, _démarrer au quart de tour _means exactly what you asked for : _reagir rapidement et souvent sans penser._
> Did I answer your request ?


I kept thinking about what I wrote and there must something totaly wrong about the origin of the expression. It must refer, in facts, to the old times when cars where started with a cranck. The quarter of a turn is more likely a cranck turn than a key one.
Apart from this, the expression keeps its meaning.


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## Amda Zako

Hmm. I'd like to start this discussion all over.
While "démarrer/partir au quart de tour" is pretty close, in my experience it means you get upset/angry at the drop of a coin, resulting in rash words (or even blows).
To "shoot from the hip" just means you don't take aim. It would be something like "agir de manière irréfléchie", though obviously we'd like a more informal/idiomatic expression.
Qui se risque ?


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## Keith Bradford

"Shoot from the hip" suggests you don't even draw your gun, you fire while it is still in its holster, i.e. prematurely.  So it *is* an equivalent of démarrer/partir au quart de tour.


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## Sbonke

Foncer dans le tas ? Foncer tête baissée ? (Trying to answer Amda Zako's question)


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## Amda Zako

But Keith, ain't I right that to shoot from the hip does not necessarily suggest any antagonism? I have an executive here who feels that his company "has a tendency to shoot from the hip", meaning they charge into markets without due planning. "Partir au quart de tour" would be used exclusively in an interpersonal situation, where someone feels insulted or otherwise annoyed.

Sbonke I like your suggestion. Something with foncer in any case.


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## Keith Bradford

Of course.  Context is all...


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## florencia-francesa

I made an academic career out of *shooting from the hip*.

Hi, can someone help me on that?


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## p_j

Jawohl! "Shooting from the hip" is figurative speech for "acting quickly on instinct", although how one makes an academic career with this method is beyond me, I'm afraid!


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## florencia-francesa

I knew it was weird!!!


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## p_j

You were right.


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## sinopoli

Bonjour,

I’m looking for a good equivalent of “firing from the hip” in terms of speaking without much thought, perhaps to “get a word in”, or without, due consideration.

Found so far :

elle dégaine plus vite que son ombre
tirer sur la hanche (sounds too mechanical ?)
une riposte de façon inattendue
je ne devrais pas répondre trop vite à celle-ci
répondre trop vite
on et n'agir qu'après mûre réflexion (a bit unwieldy ?)

I would be grateful for any comments.

Ernie


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## joelooc

without more context the first thing that comes to mind is "à la va-vite". In some cases "spontanément" would work too.


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## Itisi

réagir au quart de tour


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## guillaumedemanzac

British would be : Engaging mouth before putting brain into gear!  which is close to "shooting from the hip" (USA American) -
Is there a French phrase for that   ?  :

  Ouvrez la bouche avant de penser sérieusement de/sur ce que tu vas dire! = Sans mûre réflexion!

Also "knee-jerk reaction"  = réponse réflexe = replying thoughtlessly (and idiotically!).


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## JClaudeK

sinopoli said:


> “firing from the hip” in terms of speaking without much thought


Pourquoi pas tout simplement "répondre sans (prendre le temps de) réfléchir"


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## Philippides

Un lien à faire avec l'expression "Il faut tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche avant de parler"
Mais peut-être cette expression tombe-t-elle un peu en désuétude.


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## guillaumedemanzac

Philippides said:


> Un lien à faire avec l'expression "Il faut tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche avant de parler".



That certainly covers my favourite "Engage brain before putting mouth into gear!" but of course it means "Don't shoot from the hip;* think* before shooting from the hip!"; in US duelling terms this phrase means to be the first to shoot in a shoot-out = don't raise the gun aim and fire;shoot as soon as the gun is out of the holster i.e. without aiming properly. Don't think first just fire as soon as you can.
Or as the song has it : don't react instantly: think twice! = think carefully before acting. Celine Dion :  Look back before you leave my life, Baby, think twice   .... Don't say what you're about to say, be sure before you close that door, before you roll those dice, Baby think twice!


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## sinopoli

Copious and sincere thanks to everyone.  A lot of “richesses” to consider.  My French is not good enough to comment on them all.  As usual, it does depend greatly on the context.   By the way, it’s mainly inspired by the way many media interviews are conducted, where it seems that “getting a lot of words in” may be the main object, rather than finding alternative points of view, instead of fewer but better-chosen words maybe.

“Spontanément*” may be better when referring to a genuine conversation, but might exclude those where politicos take part.

I like “réponse réflexe” and “répondre sans (prendre le temps de) réfléchir" although it doesn’t roll easily off the tongue, same goes for “Il faut tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche avant de parler”.

Thank you auptitgallo for the alternatives.

I liked vignonais’ “To shoot from the hip, means to make decisions quickly and based on first reactions, as opposed to thinking out the decisions. The sense here is not as negative as in "hasty decision" which implies "wrong decision because it was too quick".  I believe it comes from the image of a cowboy shooting without taking the gun out of the holster.  "prendre une décision sans réfléchir", spontanée*, impéteuse.   And, yes, the notion comes from the same western films, where the good-shot sheriff often manages to dispense justice direct from the holster.


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