shoot ’em up
shoot 'em up
A video game genre in which the objective is to shoot a large number of enemies while maneuvering to avoid their attacks, especially by controlling a single spacecraft or aircraft. I used to love playing shoot 'em ups at our local arcade growing up. It required such quick reactions and skill that you really felt accomplished when you made it all the way through!
See also: shoot, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
shoot ’em up
1. n. a Western action movie. Most films are more sophisticated nowadays than the old shoot ’em ups.
2. mod. having to do with a Western action film. He was a shoot ’em up star in the thirties.
See also: shoot, up
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
- shoot 'em up
- shmup
- RTS
- run of play
- be fast on the draw
- be fast/quick on the draw
- keep your friends close and your enemies closer
- fire at will
- throw (one's) weight about
- throw your weight about/around