Stare down

A stare down refers to a situation where two people stare at one another without interruption.
Most commonly a stare down is a contest, popular with children or people on psychedelic drugs, where two people stare at one another trying not to blink. The first one to blink is considered the loser of the game.
Or, a stare down can refer to a situation where two people stare at one another without speaking in an intense situation, such as a fight or argument. In an argument it often follows a question, where one person is waiting for an answer and the other person is not immediately sure how to respond.
In a fight or potential fight, a stare down can be the stand-off period where the opponents are waiting for one or the other to make the first move, and often times this period will be intentionally delayed until someone breaks up the fight. In this meaning of the term it doesn't matter if either party blinks or not, since unlike the children's game, the staring in and of itself is not the point of the situation.
 
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