line of fire, in the

Idioms  

1. In the path of an an attack, as in Whenever Audrey and Jeff quarrel, I take care to get out of the line of fire. This expression, dating from the mid-1800s, originally referred to the path of a bullet or other projectile, a meaning also still current. Also see firing line.

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Example Sentences

The rise in interest rates has felt like an inexorable slog for some, with mortgage holders in particular in the direct line of fire in the battle against inflation.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2023

Mr. Preston pointed out it was Amazon that put the authors in the line of fire in the first place.

From New York Times • Aug. 7, 2014

He examined carefully the line of fire in the undergrowth.

From Cudjo's Cave by Trowbridge, J. T. (John Townsend)

From their height they resemble a broad zigzag line of fire in the heavens.

From A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and its tributaries And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864 by Livingstone, David

The man ran back behind the wall of fire to where he had started and began to run another line of fire in the other direction.

From The Shepherd of the North by Maher, Richard Aumerle