eyeball to eyeball
Nose to nose
Eyeball to eyeball describes a direct, close-range confrontation between opposing parties.
The phrase evokes two people standing so near that their eyes nearly meet—neither backing down.
It gained currency during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: We're eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked.
The image suggests tension at the brink of conflict.
- vis-à-visIn relation to
- face to faceIn someone's presence
- stareProlonged fixed gaze
- staring contestUnblinking visual standoff
- close quartersRestricted space, minimal distance
tension · face · standoff · Mexican standoff · face-to-face · showdown · high noon · near · confrontation · head-on · square off · opposite · close · nerve · brinkmanship · cold war · meet · impasse
eyeball to eyeballat arm's length
miles apart · worlds apart · remote · distant · remotely
eyeball to eyeballbehind one's back
indirectly · secondhand · passive-aggressively · obliquely · evasively
eyeball to eyeballbacking down
Withdrawing from a stance
flinching · blinking · caving in · retreating · turning away
ball, eyeless, eyelet, balled, balling, eyeball, eyeballs, eyeballed, eyeballing