at (or in) close quarters
Very or uncomfortably close to someone or something: he witnessed the atrocities of war at close quarters housing shortages force people to live in close quarters...- Lack of intimacy and diversity of interpretation means my account cannot lay claim to the kind of authority biography has when conducted at close quarters and with access to uncontested evidence.
- Living in close quarters with her, I decided that the time had come for me to learn how to speak my mother tongue.
- There will inevitably continue to be problems that arise from living in close quarters while performing a lengthy, gruelling activity.
See parent entry: close