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“Shot after shot” or “blow after blow” means a detailed description. It can refer to a game or a fight, and is often used to ask for more or less detail. It can also be used as a title, such as in music or literature.
Shot after shot, just like game after game, is an idiom used to describe a step-by-step process or detailed description. This phrase also sometimes appears with dashes between each word. It’s a quick way to ask for more or less detail when another person is providing an account of an event that happened previously.
A commonly used saying is, “I don’t need a shot-by-shot description.” This indicates that the person dealing with the situation is giving a very detailed description and that the person using this expression would prefer a quicker and simpler explanation. On the other hand, someone may want to know every detail. “Slows. Give me one blow after another; don’t skip anything.”
The phrase “blow after blow” is an adjective that means that something is explained in great detail. Etymologists believe the term has been in use since 1933. “Game for game” tends to refer to the description of a game or other similar sporting event. Blow after blow may have originated as a term referring to the sport of boxing, as in “strike after blow in a fight.” “Blow” is a word used to describe a hard blow, such as those inflicted by a boxer. Such a description of a fight would be a more literal interpretation although the phrase is commonly used in a less literal sense like many other idioms.
A shot-by-shot description doesn’t just report details, it should also do so in the chronological order in which they occurred. A police officer might ask for this description in reference to an automobile accident or when interviewing someone who has witnessed a crime being committed. A reporter might also ask sources for a detailed account of her, or provide such a description of an event when reporting.
Even idioms can be, and often are, used as titles. This in particular is the title of an album by Jeff Beck and a song by Fleetwood Mac. There is also a book called Blow Blow: The Story of Isabella Blow.
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