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Lone Swordsman Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
stare down the barrel of a gun
Hi, all
Could you please explain to me the meaning of the expression "stare down the barrel of a gun".
As far as I know, "stare down" means to make someone or something give up by being stared at, but I can't quite catch what "stare down" means in this expression. I don't think that it just means to look at the barrel of a gun...there is something else, but I don't know what.
Thanks in advance,
LS
Could you please explain to me the meaning of the expression "stare down the barrel of a gun".
As far as I know, "stare down" means to make someone or something give up by being stared at, but I can't quite catch what "stare down" means in this expression. I don't think that it just means to look at the barrel of a gun...there is something else, but I don't know what.
Thanks in advance,
LS
Top answer
It would mean you were in immdiate, severe danger and you faced it directly. "down the barrel" - the inside of the muzzle of the gun is where you are looking. In the literal sense, someone is pointing a gun at you.
- It would mean you were in immdiate, severe danger and you faced it directly.
- "down the barrel" - the inside of the muzzle of the gun is where you are looking.
- In the literal sense, someone is pointing a gun at you.
- In a figurative sense, someone has the ability to cause you very serious trouble.
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3 Answers
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It would mean you were in immdiate, severe danger and you faced it directly. "down the barrel" - the inside of the muzzle of the gun is where you are looking.
In the literal sense, someone is pointing a gun at you. In a figurative sense, someone has the ability to cause you very serious trouble.
In the literal sense, someone is pointing a gun at you. In a figurative sense, someone has the ability to cause you very serious trouble.
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GG, thanks.
Looks like the reason I got confused was that I thought the verb of the expression was "stare down" while it actually was just "stare".
LS
Looks like the reason I got confused was that I thought the verb of the expression was "stare down" while it actually was just "stare".
LS
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Yes, it's easy to get confused.
He was a man who could stare down danger without flinching. He had stared down the barrel of a gun many times. -- When you put them together like that, it sounds like he had a staring match with a part of a gun and can even create a silly image instead of a serious one.
He was certain he'd been careful: He had disconnected the alarms and had been
He was a man who could stare down danger without flinching. He had stared down the barrel of a gun many times. -- When you put them together like that, it sounds like he had a staring match with a part of a gun and can even create a silly image instead of a serious one.
He was certain he'd been careful: He had disconnected the alarms and had been
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