In German, we have almost the same expression, "ein Schuss vor den Bug." Literally, it translates to "a shot in front of the bow." I never thought about where i

In German, we have almost the same expression, "ein Schuss vor den Bug." Literally, it translates to "a shot in front of the bow." I never thought about where it came from. Interesting to learn. The expression has somehow always felt more like a frontal attack that stops right before actually hitting you. But my head may have conflated it with "jemandem etwas vor den Latz knallen," which translates to "slap something in front of somebody's bib."