SHOOT FROM THE HIP

v. phr. , informal 1. To fire a gun held at the hip without aiming by aligning the barrel with one's eye. In many Western movies the heroic sheriff defeats the villains by shooting from the hip. 2. To speak sincerely, frankly, and without subterfuge. "What kind of an administrator will Mr. Brown be?" the head of the search committee asked. "He shoots straight from the hip," he was assured.