Broadside

Origin of: Broadside

Broadside

Figuratively, to give someone a broadside is to be verbally aggressive, much the same as giving someone a piece of one’s mind. Originally, it is of course a nautical expression from the 16th century, which entails the simultaneous discharge of all the guns along the side of warship. The broad side of a ship, originally two words, is that which is above the water from the bow to the stern.