firing line

American  

noun

1. Military.

   1. the positions at which troops are stationed to fire upon the enemy or targets.

   2. the troops firing from this line.

2. the forefront of any action or activity, especially a controversy.

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firing line British  

noun

1. military

   1. the positions from which fire is delivered

   2. the soldiers occupying these positions

2. the leading or most advanced position in an activity

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Etymology

Origin of firing line

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

A two-day defeat in Perth by eight wickets and another by the same margin at the pink-ball clash in Brisbane left them reeling and in the firing line at home.

From Barron's

Curator Matt Page and his team have been in the firing line after leaving 10 millimetres of grass on the wicket for the fourth Ashes Test against England.

From Barron's

Soon after, the crowd chanted the name of another child - Chaya, a 14-year-old who put herself in the firing line to protect a stranger's children.

From BBC

Poland has been in the firing line since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees who fled the fighting.

From Barron's

If England do need to take Smith out of the firing line, the only option is to give the gloves to Ollie Pope, but Pope has problems on his own…

From BBC