a shot across the bows
a warning shot across the bows

"So the good news would be a shot across the bows?"

Both need a shot across the bows.

(Is this a shot across the bows of columnists, editorial writers and the public editor?

Mr President, I welcome this report as a shot across the bows of supermarket giants.

But to have a strike as a shot across the bows is pathetic and if the government have anything about them they should not be intimidated by the looney 20% who voted for strike action.

The price cut "is more than just a shot across the bows of Post's competitors," said Terry Bivens, a food analyst for Donald & Company, "but a little less than a torpedo in their engine room.

Airbus has pledged to create up to 600 jobs in the UK this year, but sent a shot across the bows of domestic manufacturers by warning that Britain's GKN recently lost out on a lucrative parts contract to a Korean rival because it was not competitive enough.

Commerce 'Is Waking Up' "This is a shot across the bows of the Japanese that currency changes ultimately have to be reflected appropriately in product prices," said Representative Nancy Johnson, Republican of Connecticut, whose district contains companies making roller bearings, machine tools, computers and other products affected by Japanese competition.

This latest deal is a warning shot across the bows of the US dollar.

A warning shot across the bows.

Reidinger: Under the premise that a warning shot across the bows ought to be universally understood.

I think American is firing a warning shot across the bows of the other airlines, 'Let's not get into another fare war now.' "

It is murmured that one or two departments have been given a warning shot across the bows: 'improve, or you may sink without trace'.

Lawyers for Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton have fired a warning shot across the bows of the media.

Outside court, Mr Cook said: 'It sends a warning shot across the bows of all dischargers, including industry, water authorities and factories.

That effectively will be a warning shot across the bows of these blacklisted flag states: over a period of time their ships will be banned one by one if they do not improve.

Of course, the numbers of those punished are tiny compared to the million-plus strong bureaucratic army, but the strategy is a warning shot across the bows of every branch of government to say "change is coming, mend your ways".

At the same time, he has put a warning shot across the bows of the rightwing pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has already committed its 88 members of parliament to supporting the minority government.

While this Parliament has, for the first time, a say on such matters, the Arif report has fired a warning shot across the bows of the Council and the Commission as they prepare to open negotiations with India, Canada and, soon, with China.