Military Terminology — noun

What is Hurt Locker?

Being in a very bad situation; a place of pain, difficulty, or suffering.

ArmyMarines

Definition

To be in the hurt locker is to be in serious trouble — physically, professionally, or situationally. The term predates the 2009 film but was popularized by it. In military parlance, you put someone in the hurt locker by defeating them decisively, or you find yourself in the hurt locker when a mission goes sideways, when leadership is disappointed in you, or when circumstances have become truly dire.

In Dating & Relationships

Veterans who've been in the hurt locker — literally or figuratively — bring a particular resilience and dark humor to relationships that civilians often struggle to understand.

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