subs. (colloquial).—1. Confidence; boldness; also (more frequently) impudence: e.g., ‘I like your FACE’ = I like your cheek. Once literary; Cf., CHEEK, JAW, GAB, BROW, MOUTH, LIP, etc.
1610. JONSON, The Alchemist. Dramatis Personæ. FACE.
1617. MIDDLETON, A Faire Quarrell, II., ii.
| I that had FACE enough to do the deed, | |
| Cannot want tongue to speak it. |
1668. ETHEREGE, She Would if She Could, I., i. (1704), p. 95.
| I admire thy impudence, | |
| I could never have had the FACE to have | |
| Wheadled the poor Knight so. | |
| Ibid. (1678), The Man of Mode, V., i., in wks. (1704), 265. | |
| Bel. I am amaz’d to find him here! How has he the FACE to come near you? |
1702. DEFOE, Shortest Way with Dissenters, in Arber’s Garner, vol. VII., p. 590, You have butchered one king! deposed another king! and made a mock king of a third! and yet, you could have the FACE to expect to be employed and trusted by the fourth.
1714. Spectator, No. 566. A man has scarce the FACE to make his court to a lady, without some credentials from the service to recommend him.
1854. F. E. SMEDLEY, Harry Coverdale’s Courtship, ch. liii. I can hardly suppose even Phil Tirrett would have the FACE to throw me over and ride for O’Brien.
1870. London Figaro, 3 June. ‘Look at that girl in pink, Sancho,’ he said; ‘that’s Lord Rubric’s daughter. Ran away with the family organist—that’s he with her. I like their FACE, though, to come here; it’s awfully good.’
2. (common).—Credit. TO PUSH ONE’S FACE = to get credit by bluster.—[See sense 1 and cf., FACE-ENTRY.]
1765. GOLDSMITH, Essays, VIII. There are three ways of getting into debt: first, by PUSHING A FACE; as thus: ‘You, Mr. Lutestring, send me home six yards of that paduasoy, damme; but, harkee, don’t think I ever intend to pay you for it, damme.’ At this the mercer laughs heartily; cuts off the paduasoy, and sends it home; nor is he, till too late, surprised to find the gentleman had said nothing but the truth, and kept his word.
1865. G. W. BACON, Descriptive Handbook of America, p. 365. TO RUN ONE’S FACE, to make use of one’s credit, TO RUN ONE’S FACE for a thing is to get it ‘on tick.’
1875. American English, in Chambers’s Journal, 25 Sept., p. 610. TO RUN YOUR FACE, which means, to go upon credit.
3. (common).—A qualification of contempt: e.g., ‘NOW FACE! where are you a-shoving of?’
Verb (old).—To bully.—See all senses, especially TO FACE WITH A CARD OF TEN.
1593. SHAKESPEARE, Taming of the Shrew, iv. 3. FACE not me; thou hast brav’d many men; brave not me; I will neither be FAC’D nor brav’d.
TO FACE or OUT-FACE WITH A CARD OF TEN, verb. phr. (old).—To browbeat; to ‘bluff.’ [NARES: derived from some game (possibly primero) wherein the standing boldly upon a ten was often successful. The phrase originally expressed the confidence of one player who with a ten, as at brag, FACED or OUTFACED one who had really a faced card against him.]
d. 1529. SKELTON [quoted by NARES].
| First pycke a quarrel, and fall out with him then, | |
| And so OUT FACE HIM WITH A CARD OF TEN. |
1593. SHAKESPEARE, Taming of the Shrew, ii.
| A vengeance on your crafty wither’d hide! | |
| Yet I have FAC’D IT WITH A CARD OF TEN. |
1630. JONSON, The New Inn, i., 3.
| Some may be coats, as in the cards; but then | |
| Some must be knaves, some varlets, bawds, and ostlers, | |
| As aces, duces, CARDS O’ TEN TO FACE IT | |
| OUT, i’ the game which all the world is. |
TO FACE THE KNOCKER, verb. phr. (tailors’).—To go begging. For synonyms, see CADGE.
TO HAVE NO FACE BUT ONE’S OWN, verb. phr. (old).—To be penniless; or (gamesters’) to hold no court cards. Fr., n’avoir pas une face = ‘not to have a sou.’
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.
TO MAKE FACES, verb. phr. (prison).—1. To go back, or ‘round’ upon a friend. [In allusion to the convicts’ habit of distorting their features under the lens.]
2. (old).—To beget children. Cf., FACE-MAKING.
TO FACE THE MUSIC, verb. phr. (American).—To meet an emergency; also to show one’s hand. [J. Fenimore Cooper derived it from the green-room, whence actors go on the boards and literally FACE THE MUSIC. Another traces it to militia musters, where every man is expected to appear equipped and armed, when in rank and file, FACING THE MUSIC. A third derives it from drumming out of the army.]
1857. Worcester Spy, 23 Sept. Although such reverses would seem to fall with crushing weight upon some of our most substantial citizens, a strong determination to FACE THE MUSIC is everywhere manifested.
1888. Chicago Daily Inter Ocean, 20 Feb. I am sure Fred can explain everything satisfactorily. I hope he hasn’t read the newspaper stories about him, for it might scare him, and he’d very foolishly skip out. That would be the worst thing he could do. He must FACE THE MUSIC.
