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to be facing a situation that is unpleasant or dangerous: The President is unlikely to act until he's staring down the barrel of a gun. Various countries are staring down the barrel of recession. The team is looking down the barrel of their seventh straight defeat.
Jun 3, 2022 · stare down the barrel of a gun. is the parent idiom. It refers to literally staring down the opening of a gun, and thus to have the gun pointed directly at the speaker, usually from close range, an obviously dangerous situation.
'down the barrel' is a correct and commonly used English phrase. It is often used to refer to something being done "head-on", with no hesitation or avoidance. For example, "I looked down the barrel of the situation and decided I had to take action".
Jul 23, 2020 · (Defeat does not have a barrel): you can 1 stare someone/something down; 2 be staring down the barrel of a gun or 3 stare something in the face. – Greybeard Commented Jul 24, 2020 at 8:31
It implies that all other options have been exhausted and only the least desirable one remains. For example, if a company is struggling to find qualified candidates for a job, they might say, 'We've interviewed everyone, and now we're down to the bottom of the barrel.'
look down the barrel. To raise and point a gun at someone or something. (The "barrel" of a gun is the tube-shaped part from which the projectile is fired.) I don't know that I could look down the barrel and shoot another human being—I just don't think I could do it.
look down the barrel. To raise and point a gun at someone or something. (The "barrel" of a gun is the tube-shaped part from which the projectile is fired.) I don't know that I could look down the barrel and shoot another human being—I just don't think I could do it.
