blinks first
Loses the staredown
To blink first is to lose nerve in a standoff, backing down before one's opponent does.
From staring contests where the first to blink loses.
The phrase appears in negotiations, confrontations, and games of chicken: Neither side wanted to blink first in the trade dispute.
Someone who blinks first shows weakness or concedes under pressure.
- staring contestUnblinking visual standoff
- hesitatePause in uncertainty
- standoffUnresolved confrontation between opponents
- nuclear standoffArmed nations frozen mid-threat
- brinkmanshipPushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
high stakes · flinch · cold feet · showdown · fear · impasse · capitulation · resolve · submission · face-off · doubt · indecision · chicken · twitch · vulnerability · confrontation · recoil · shudder
resolve in confrontation
blinks firstholds firm
holds steady · holds out · stares down · digs in · plays hardball
blink, blinks, blinked, blinking, blinker, blinkers, first, firstly