shoot first and ask questions later

English

Verb

shoot first and ask questions later (third-person singular simple present shoots first and asks questions later, present participle shooting first and asking questions later, simple past and past participle shot first and asked questions later)

1. (idiomatic, US) To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences, without first adequately investigating the situation.
2. (idiomatic, US) To act boldly.

Translations

To take hasty, immediate action with serious consequences

• Dutch: eerst schieten, dan vragen stellen
• German: erst schießen, dann fragen
• Spanish: disparar primero y preguntar después

See also

• first blood
• guns blazing
• preemptive
• shoot from the hip