Parthian shot
/ˈpɑːθɪən
/noun
Another term for parting shot. as he reached the door he shouted his Parthian shot...
- ‘Success is just one step ahead, there is no loser’ was his Parthian shot.
- His Parthian shot on the Holyrood site was equally unhelpful: ‘It was only a Glaswegian who could have chosen it.’
- The day that Karen had left, angry and shouting as she dragged her bulging suitcase down the hall, her Parthian shot had been ‘You love that bloody truck more than you love me.’
Origin
Late 19th century: so named because of the trick used by Parthians of shooting arrows backwards while in real or pretended flight.