brunt
Related to brunt: bear the brunt
bear the brunt (of something)
To suffer the worst part of an unpleasant or problematic situation. When our system crashed, the call center employees bore the brunt of our customers' anger. Because I came home late, my sister bore the brunt of our mother's frustration about her job.
See also: bear, brunt
take the brunt of (something)
To suffer the worst part of an unpleasant or problematic situation. When our system crashed, the call center employees took the brunt of our customers' anger. Because I came home late, my sister took the brunt of our mother's frustration about her job.
See also: brunt, of, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
bear the brunt (of something)
to withstand the worst part or the strongest part of something, such as an attack. I had to bear the brunt of her screaming and yelling. Why don't you talk with her the next time she complains? I'm tired of bearing the brunt of her objections.
See also: bear, brunt
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
bear the brunt
Put up with the worst of some bad circumstance, as in It was the secretary who had to bear the brunt of the doctor's anger. This idiom uses brunt in the sense of "the main force of an enemy's attack," which was sustained by the front lines of the defenders. [Second half of 1700s]
See also: bear, brunt
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
bear the brunt of something
COMMON If someone or something bears the brunt of an unpleasant or damaging event, they take the main force of its harmful effects. Station staff always bear the brunt of public anger over fare rises. When the sufferer is in pain, frustrated by their own weakness, you will bear the brunt of their anger, guilt and inadequacy. Note: Verbs such as take, feel and receive are sometimes used instead of bear. The two buildings which took the brunt of the blast will probably have to be demolished.
See also: bear, brunt, of, something
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
bear the brunt of
be the person to suffer the most (as the result of an attack, misfortune, etc.).The origin of brunt is unknown, and may be onomatopoeic. The sense has evolved from the specific (‘a sharp or heavy blow’) to the more general (‘the shock or violence of an attack’).
See also: bear, brunt, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
bear the ˈbrunt of something
suffer most as the result of an attack, a loss, bad luck, etc: We all lost money when the business collapsed, but I bore the brunt of it because I had invested the most.See also: bear, brunt, of, something
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
bear the brunt, to
To put up with the worst of any hardship, violence, or other misfortune. The term dates from the early fifteenth century, when brunt signified the main force of an enemy’s assault, which was borne by the front ranks of an army aligned in the field of battle. It was used by John Lydgate in his Chronicle of Troy (1430) and later began to be used figuratively, as by Robert Browning in “Prospice” (1864): “. . . fare like my peers, The heroes of old, Bear the brunt . . . of pain, darkness and cold.”
See also: bear
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- bear the brunt
- bear the brunt (of something)
- bear the brunt of
- bear the brunt of something
- take the brunt of (something)
- mixed up in (something)
- bear the brunt, to
- mix (one) up in (something)
- mix up in
- mixe