to stare someone in the face
24
5.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
saltar a la vista
- He realized that the answer had been staring him in the face all along.
- stare me right in the face
- answer staring you in the face
- truth is staring you in the face
Examples
-
Even with the evidence staring me in the face, I still couldn't accept it.
Blog text (26) -
What do you do when death stares you right in the face?
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And it was staring me right in the face.
-
There it was all the time, staring you in the face.
-
- It was staring us in the face all along.
-
The rules were right there staring them in the face.
Academic text (1998) -
Others denied the evidence until well after it was staring them in the face.
Blog text (6) -
I think the answer to this conundrum is actually staring us in the face.
Blog text (32) -
Such a dilemma always stares a writer right in the face.
Academic text (2004) -
Bankruptcy stares us in the face while our politicians sleepwalk through history.
Academic text (2011)
Synonyms
310
4.1
Face someone directly in an angry or challenging way to accuse them
9
4.2
Deal with a problem directly instead of avoiding it
1
4.8
Face a person or problem directly without avoiding it
Antonyms
How Obvious
- Informal
24
5.2
- Informal
3
5.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
stare + someone + in + the + face
The sense 'very obvious' is motivated by the literal image of something looking directly at a person (stare + in the face), so a learner who knows the words can often infer that meaning. However, the construction requires a metaphorical role shift (an inanimate fact 'stares' at someone) and functions idiomatically, so the exact interpretation may not be fully predictable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Stare someone in the face paints the image of a fact or problem so close it seems to stare at your face, like something you cannot miss. So, it means 'very obvious' or 'impossible to ignore'.