Cheap shot

[Adam Cruge]

I wrote this sentence, please tell me whether the use of "cheap shot" is right or wrong.
"Some people love making cheap shots(here I wanted to mean unkind and unfair comments towards others, here some people make those comments to others); for those I suggest stop doing it and do ...."

I am wondering whether it would be "make cheap shot" or "take cheap shot"?

"take cheap shot" = "make unkind and unfair comments to others"
or
"make cheap shot" = "make unkind and unfair comments to others"
Which one is correct?

 

[BobK]

They can both be used with similar meanings, but here I'd choose "make"; to my ear, you 'take a cheap shot' when you take the opportunity to make a cheap shot'. (Remember the 'a'.)

There is another idiom that seems to be at odds with this one. When you see trouble coming, but recognize that it's inevitable and reconcile yourself to the pain (which needn't be actual pain, it might just be something like losing money), you 'take the hit'. When you use 'take a cheap shot', you risk having people wonder whether you're the subject or the object of the shot. (I'm not saying "Don't use 'take'", but you may need to be aware of this possible problem.)

b

 

[Adam Cruge]

Actually I was going to use "make" here but somebody said it is better and probably appropriate to use "take", so I used "take".
So I wrote: "Some people took cheap shot...." (= Some people made bad comment to her ....)

 

[BobK]

Actually I was going to use "make" here but somebody said it is better and probably appropriate to use "take", so I used "take".
So I wrote: "Some people took cheap shots...." (= Some people made bad comments to her ....)

Both 'shot' and 'comment' are countable. Use either an article or a plural.

b