slings and arrows

plural noun

: pointed often acerbic critical attacks

… has suffered the slings and arrows of detractors …

—Roland Gelatt

Examples of slings and arrows in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the job of a big-league manager is to help a talented group — which the Mariners were perceived to be after finishing a game short of the World Series last year — navigate the slings and arrows of the long season. — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Unlike the in-game broadcast crew, Laskey navigates the slings and arrows following victory or defeat directly. — Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 3 May 2026

Holland, of course, was providing cover for the man who should have been receiving most of the slings and arrows this week. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 2 May 2026

Low inflation is the Fed’s plot armor, its vital protection again slings and arrows. — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the phrase "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" in Shakespeare's Hamlet

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slings and arrows

• barrows