open season on

Idioms

A period of unrestrained criticism or attack on something or someone, as in During an election year it's open season on all officeholders. This expression alludes to the period during which one may legally hunt or fish. [Colloquial; c. 1900]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hence it was something of open season on him.

From BBC

“The real loser here is Intel, as it is now open season on all of its main product lines,” Windsor said, pointing to both its personal-computer and data-center chips.

From MarketWatch

Stating this out loud to the British press, and one notoriously harsh journalist in particular, makes it open season on Ted Lasso in the U.K.

From Salon

The Council’s refusal to comment has made it open season on speculation and rumors.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Murray wrote, “It is always open season on the truth.”

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023