Discussion Groups / English Usage / April 2010

Hello:

This is Al Pacino's part in the movie. In the last sentence:

"you never open your mouth till you know what the shot is."

what is a "shot," a slang for a "situation?"

-----
[Roma, the top salesman of this real-estate company, loses a deal
because the manager, Williamson, intervenes in a discussion between
him and a customer by inadvertently revealing that a check was already
cashed, something that Roma wanted to keep hidden]

                        ROMA

                  (to Williamson)
           What you're hired for is to help
           us--does that seem clear to you?
                        (MORE)

                                                          82.

                        ROMA (CONT'D)
           To help us.  Not to f.ck us up...to
           help men who are going out there to
           try to earn a living.  You fairy.
           You company man...I'll tell you
           something else.  I hope you knocked
           the joint off, I can tell our
           friend here something might help
           him catch you.
                  (starts into the room)
           You want to learn the first rule
           you'd know if you ever spent a day
           in your life...you never open your
           mouth till you know what the shot
           is.

David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross, script
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Glengarry-Glen-Gross.html
-----

Thanks.
Marius Hancu