game of chicken
Who swerves first
A game of chicken is a confrontation where two parties each refuse to back down, waiting to see who will yield first.
The term comes from a dangerous stunt where two cars drive toward each other—whoever swerves first is the "chicken." The phrase now applies to any standoff where both sides risk mutual destruction by refusing to concede: The debt ceiling debate became a game of chicken between Congress and the White House.
- gambleStake on uncertain outcome
- bluffCalculated false front
- staring contestUnblinking visual standoff
- brinkmanshipPushing conflicts to disaster's threshold
- nerves of steelExceptional calm under pressure
gamesmanship · Mexican standoff · standoff · bravery · fearlessness · overconfidence · escalation · power struggle · deterrence · ultimatum · high stakes · all or nothing · stubbornness · collision course · crash course · point of no return · unintended consequences · trade-off
game of chickencooperation
Joint action toward shared aims
mutual aid · compromise · alliance · partnership · joint venture
game of chickenbacking down
Withdrawing from a stance
de-escalation · risk aversion · playing it safe · capitulation · yielding
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