English idioms can be fun and yet confusing at the same time. That’s why it’s important to understand what idioms are and how to use them correctly.
Here we’re looking specifically at face idioms – those about facial features or that just use the word ‘face’ with another meaning. We’ve included idioms about eyes, ears, teeth, nose, mouth, and more for good measure.
So, get ready to bring your conversations to life with these face sayings!
Face idioms
Keep a straight face
You’ll see that many of these face idioms are not actually about your face – but this one is.
Smiling is great, but not always appropriate. If you need to maintain a serious or composed expression, especially when faced with something amusing or absurd, you must keep a straight face.
“My sister kept passing notes to me during the service and I found it hard to keep a straight face.”
Put on a brave face
Sometimes, when you are facing a challenging situation, you need to pretend to be brave or confident even if you don’t feel that way. This is what it means to put on a brave face.
“Despite her fears, she put on a brave face and stepped onto the stage to deliver her speech.”
Face the music (and dance)
To face the music is to confront the consequences or negative repercussions of your actions, especially if you are expecting to receive a punishment.
“After years of avoiding his responsibilities, it was time for him to face the music and deal with the consequences of his actions.”
This music idiom, in a longer form, is also the title of a popular Frank Sinatra song: Let’s Face the Music and Dance.
Face (the) facts
With a similar meaning to the face idiom above, when you face (the) facts you acknowledge and accept the truth, even if it is unpleasant or difficult to deal with.
“It was time for him to face the facts and admit that his business venture had failed.”
Red in the face
There are a number of things that can cause a person to go red in the face, whether literally or figuratively. It could be anger, exhaustion, embarrassment, or humiliation – so you’ll have to judge the exact meaning from the context.
“Are you ok, Geoff? We’ve only climbed one flight of stairs and you’ve turned red in the face.”
“I couldn’t help but go red in the face when I forgot my lines in front of the whole class.”
You may also hear red-faced as an alternative way to say this.
Interestingly, quite a few anger idioms relate to how our faces look when experiencing this emotion.
Save face
To save face is to preserve your reputation or dignity, often by avoiding embarrassment or humiliation.
“He tried to find a way to resolve the conflict gracefully and save face in front of his colleagues.”
Lose face
If you don’t manage to save face you may end up losing face.
This means experiencing a loss of respect, reputation, or social standing due to a mistake or failure – the opposite of saving face.
“He was afraid to speak up and admit his error, fearing that he would lose face in front of his team.”
Take something/someone at face value
When you accept something exactly as it appears to be or as it is presented to you, without investigating further or checking for proof, you take it at face value.
You can also take someone at face value if you accept what they say and assume they are telling the truth.
“She took his compliments at face value, not realizing his hidden agenda.”
“My aunt is a very trustworthy person. I always take her at face value.
Find some more idioms about lying and telling the truth here.
Wipe the smile off your face
As you can probably guess, to wipe the smile off someone’s face is not a nice thing to do. It means to do something to stop someone feeling happy, content, or smug. It often involves revealing or reminding them of an unpleasant truth or reality.
“When she discovered the truth about his deceit, she confronted him and wiped the smile off his face.”
“She’s so pleased with herself for getting Employee of the month. Wait till she sees the roster for next week – that’ll wipe the smile off her face.”
Note that the person doesn’t have to be physically smiling for you to do this. They may just be acting smug or self-satisfied, and you want to change their mood (for the worse).
Face the firing squad
To face the firing squad metaphorically refers to being confronted by a group of people who are ready to criticize, discipline, or attack you.
“As the CEO, he knew he would have to face the firing squad of shareholders at the annual meeting.”
Learn more about the difference between idioms and metaphors here.
A face like the back end of a bus
There are many English idioms about beauty, but this is just the opposite. If you say that someone has a face like the back end of a bus, it means they are not very attractive.
“I try to see the best in everyone, but it’s hard to get past the fact that he has a face like the back end of a bus.”
There are several variants of this face idiom – all equally unkind!
- A face only a mother could love
- A face like a bag of spanners (British)
- A face that could stop a clock
Eyes, nose and ear idioms
Now that we have covered some face idioms, let’s move on to some more that mention different facial features, beginning with idioms about eyes.
In the blink of an eye
Something that happens in the blink of an eye happens very quickly or suddenly. It could be literally in the time it takes for you to blink, or it could just mean that the time passed fast.
“Their afternoon together was over in the blink of an eye.”
We have lots more great idioms about time in this article.
Keep an eye on
If someone asks you to keep an eye on someone or something, they want you to watch or monitor it/them closely.
“Make sure to keep an eye on the pot while it simmers on the stove.”
“Can you keep an eye on the kids for 15 minutes? I just need to pop out.”
Turn a blind eye
And here is almost the opposite of keeping an eye on someone! People who turn a blind eye intentionally ignore or pretend not to notice something.
“The teacher decided to turn a blind eye to the students’ whispering during the exam.”
Cry your eyes out
This idiom for crying simply means to cry very hard, usually for a long time.
“When I found out my dog had died, I cried my eyes out.”
In one ear and out the other
Have you ever been talking to someone and felt like they weren’t really listening or paying attention? It may have felt like your words were going in one ear and out the other.
This is a sarcastic way of remarking that what you said was ignored or quickly forgotten.
“I tried to give him some guidance, but it seemed to go in one ear and out the other.”
Fall on deaf ears
Similarly, if something falls on deaf ears, it is ignored or disregarded by the person you are speaking to.
“Her plea for a deadline extension fell on deaf ears.”
Grinning from ear to ear
Most ear idioms are about hearing or listening, but this one is about smiling. In fact, grinning from ear to ear is a good happiness idiom to describe someone who has a big smile on their face.
“Janie has been grinning from ear to ear all morning but she won’t tell me why.”
You may also hear smiling from ear to ear as a variant of this saying.
Stick your nose in(to) (something)
To be nosy is to show too much interest in things that are not your concern, and some nose idioms follow this meaning.
There are a few ways to use this phrase, but essentially, to stick your nose in is to interfere or involve yourself in affairs that are not your concern or responsibility.
You’ll often hear stick your nose in where it’s not wanted or stick your nose into other people’s business as longer versions of this nose idiom.
“She’s always sticking her nose into other people’s problems, even when they don’t concern her.”
“I wish you’d stop sticking your nose in and just let me get on with my life.”
“He seems to have a habit of sticking his nose in where it’s not wanted.”
Pay through the nose
The rather unusual phrase pay through the nose is an idiom about money that describes paying an exorbitant or excessive amount of money for something.
“He had to pay through the nose for that house, but he couldn’t see himself living anywhere else.”
Cheek, teeth, mouth and lip idioms
Finally, we have some mouth idioms that include cheeks, lips, and teeth as well. Make sure you also read up on head and hair idioms, while you’re here!
Cheek by jowl
There aren’t too many cheek idioms around, and even this one is a little old-fashioned now. If two things are cheek by jowl they are positioned side-by-side or very close together. This makes sense, as ‘jowl’ is a word for the lower jaw – right next to the cheek.
“The houses in the crowded city were built cheek by jowl, leaving little space between them.”
Tongue in cheek
Sometimes you might say or write something that sounds serious but is meant as a joke. In this case, it can be described as tongue in cheek.
“His comments were tongue in cheek, but not everybody realized.”
This phrase becomes hyphenated when used before a noun:
“It was merely a tongue-in-cheek remark, I don’t know why everyone has reacted so seriously!”
Cut your teeth
To cut your teeth on or in something means to gain initial practice and experience in that area, especially when young. This teeth idiom is often used with regards to gaining work experience.
“She cut her teeth on small freelance projects before landing a full-time job.”
We have plenty more idioms about work here.
Sweet tooth
Do you prefer to eat sweet things rather than savory? In that case, you have a sweet tooth. This is simply a love for sugary foods.
“Having a sweet tooth is not an excuse for eating unhealthily.”
Lie through your teeth
If someone tells an outright, brazen lie, you could say they are lying through their teeth. Perhaps it alludes to the smile they have on their face while doing so?
“I can’t believe he just lied through his teeth like that to the whole office.”
Mouth-watering
When you see, smell, or even hear about something delicious, it may cause you to salivate. Something this good can be described as mouth-watering.
“The aroma of freshly baked bread was mouth-watering; I couldn’t resist grabbing a slice.”
“Just her description of the dish was mouth-watering!”
Lip service
Are you the kind of person that gives verbal support or agreement without taking any meaningful action? Lip service is a verbal expression or promise that turns out to be insincere.
“The politician promised to address the issue, but it turned out to be mere lip service.”
Bite your tongue
Sometimes it’s best to refrain from speaking or expressing your thoughts so as to avoid causing offence or starting an argument.
In this case, you should bite your tongue – but only figuratively – and stay silent.
“Even though she wanted to argue, she decided to bite her tongue and keep the peace.”
Explore some more speaking idioms (and some about staying quiet) in another article.
On the tip of your tongue
Do you ever find that you want to say something but you can’t quite remember or recall the right word? You could say it is on the tip of your tongue.
“What’s the name of that hotel we stayed at in Chicago? It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
If you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth you were born into a wealthy or privileged family.
“He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth; he never had to worry about money.”
Thank you for joining us to cut your teeth on these ear, nose, mouth, and other face idioms in English. We hope they’ve been interesting and helpful. Keep browsing more of our articles to learn more about the English language – perhaps this one about body idioms is a good place to look next?
