look/stare you in the face

be looking (one) in the face

1. To be almost certain to happen or become a problem. I know you don't want to pay for this expensive course of treatment, but if you keep ignoring your health, a hospital stay will be looking you in the face.2. To be very obvious, especially suddenly. Thanks to all of those failed experiments, the solution is finally looking me in the face! The right decision—to break up, unfortunately—had been looking us in the face all along.See also: face, look

look/stare you in the ˈface

(usually used in progressive tenses) (of a fact, an answer, a situation, etc.) be obvious but not noticed: The answer to the problem had been staring her in the face for years but she hadn’t seen it. ♢ ‘Where’s that book?’ ‘There in front of you, looking you in the face.’See also: face, look, stare