in the crosshairs

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in the crosshairs

1. (literally) targeted at the point of intersection of the two perpendicular lines in a gunsight or scope
2. (idiomatic) subject to close scrutiny
   • 2021 October 20, Ben Jones, “The benefits of (and barriers to) more leisure travel by rail”, in RAIL, number 942, page 32:

     Industry experts are concerned that if the railway doesn't change tack, it would soon find itself out of step with the needs of the nation and in the crosshairs of a Treasury looking to slash spending.

3. (idiomatic) singled out for blame, harassment, or other unwanted attention
   • 1989 November 3, “Brilliant acting, conception drive ‘Largo Desolato’”, in The Advocate, Louisiana, USA, retrieved 27 October 2011:

     Nettles lives in the crosshairs, with the secret police, his sympathizers, and his now and would-be lovers making impossible demands on him.

   • 1998 December 2, Frank Rich, “Opinion: What's Good for General Motors . . .”, in New York Times, retrieved 27 Oct. 2011:

     The German industrial giants that exploited slave labor during the war, from Volkswagen to Krupp, are in the crosshairs of class-action suits from Holocaust survivors.

   • 2009 April 22, Alex Altman, “2 Minute Bio: California Rep. Jane Harman”, in Time:

     U.S. Representative Jane Harman, a California Democrat, has found herself in the crosshairs of a potential scandal.