Caught in the crosshairs or cross hairs

Caught in the crosshairs or cross hairs is an idiom that is less than 100 years old. An idiom is a commonly used word, group of words, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is not easily deduced from its literal definition. Often using descriptive imagery or metaphors, common idioms are words and phrases […]
from Grammarist
https://grammarist.com/idiom/caught-in-the-crosshairs-or-cross-hairs/