staring down the barrel

[Romel Panzer]

(1) I have read the following para in an article on "Excuses for Adultery": "let's say you started your marriage with hair, and you were a Good Person. And now you have very little hair. You are staring down the barrel of having to shave your remaining hair off and meet mortality full in the face. You are still good, you haven't got any worse. And yet your standing in the partnership has gone down since in all likelihood, your wife still has hair. Of course you must have an affair." What is the meaning of " staring down the barrel" . I've heard of "Over a barrel = helpless" and " to scrape the barrel = to use one's last resources" , but never come across " stare down the barrel. (2) What is the meaning of " six degrees separation". I'm familiar with this phrase but don't remember where read it.

[rj1948]

(1) I have read the following para in an article on "Excuses for Adultery": "let's say you started your marriage with hair, and you were a Good Person. And now you have very little hair. You are staring down the barrel of having to shave your remaining hair off and meet mortality full in the face. You are still good, you haven't got any worse. And yet your standing in the partnership has gone down since in all likelihood, your wife still has hair. Of course you must have an affair." What is the meaning of " staring down the barrel" . I've heard of "Over a barrel = helpless" and " to scrape the barrel = to use one's last resources" , but never come across " stare down the barrel. (2) What is the meaning of " six degrees separation". I'm familiar with this phrase but don't remember where read it.

In a hopeless situation;facing defeat;staring defeat.
Regards,
rj1948.

[rj1948]

(1) I have read the following para in an article on "Excuses for Adultery": "let's say you started your marriage with hair, and you were a Good Person. And now you have very little hair. You are staring down the barrel of having to shave your remaining hair off and meet mortality full in the face. You are still good, you haven't got any worse. And yet your standing in the partnership has gone down since in all likelihood, your wife still has hair. Of course you must have an affair." What is the meaning of " staring down the barrel" . I've heard of "Over a barrel = helpless" and " to scrape the barrel = to use one's last resources" , but never come across " stare down the barrel. (2) What is the meaning of " six degrees separation". I'm familiar with this phrase but don't remember where read it.

Six degrees of seperation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person he or she knows and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is an average of six steps away from each person on earth. Source:wikipedia.

Regards,
rj1948.

[BobK]

In a hopeless situation;facing defeat;staring defeat.
Regards,
rj1948.

It's a different sort of 'barrel' from the two idioms you mentioned, Romel Panzer - the barrel of a gun. (Of course, there doesn't have to be a gun in the context for the idiom to work.)

(In 'over a barrel' and 'scraping the barrel', the barrel is a large container, traditionally made from slats of wood.)

b