To bear the brunt or take the brunt of something unpleasant means to suffer the main part or force of it. Young people are bearing the brunt of unemployment A child's head tends to take the brunt of any fall. bear/take/suffer etc the brunt of sth to receive the worst part of an attack, criticism, bad situation etc
{i} unexpected effort; burden of something; main force of something bad (such as a blow); violence of any contention
The heat, or utmost violence, of an onset; the strength or greatest fury of any contention; as, the brunt of a battle