come to a head

come to a head

if a problem or a disagreement comes to a head, it becomes so bad that you have to start dealing with it. Things hadn't been good between them for a while but it all came to a head last week when Phil failed to come home one night.

See also: come, head

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come to a head

to reach a stage in a difficult situation when someone takes a strong action to deal with it. The crisis came to a head when the teachers' union threatened to sue the city.

See also: come, head