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line of fire, in the

line of fire, in the idiom

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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.