facen.
/feɪs/, U.S. /feɪs/ I. Senses denoting a part of the body, and related uses.
1. The front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin, and containing the eyes, nose, and mouth; the countenance, visage.
a. In a person (or personified being) (esp. as a principal feature in recognition).In Anatomy sometimes used in a narrower sense for the part of the skull comprising the bones surrounding the nose and mouth (the viscerocranium).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > [noun]
leera700
nebeOE
onseneeOE
wlitec950
anlethOE
nebshaftc1225
snouta1300
facec1300
visage1303
semblantc1315
vicea1325
cheera1350
countenance1393
front1398
fashiona1400
visurec1400
physiognomyc1425
groina1500
faxa1522
favour1525
facies1565
visor1575
complexiona1616
frontispiecea1625
mun1667
phiz1687
mug1708
mazard1725
physiog1791
dial plate1811
fizzog1811
jiba1825
dial1837
figurehead1840
Chevy Chase1859
mooey1859
snoot1861
chivvy1889
clock1899
map1899
mush1902
pan1920
kisser1938
boat1958
boat race1958
punim1965
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 2178 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 169 More blod þar nas in al is face.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2460 (MED) Vp þey sterte euerechon & be-held him on þe fas.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 141 The secunde chapitle of woundes of þe face.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 772 Als a man waxes alde..his face rouncles ay mare and mare.
1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) 482 (MED) Al the blood owt of hyr faas For sodeyn feer was styrt awey.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bi My face thou may nat se.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney tr. Psalmes David xlii. i Ah, when comes my blessed being, Of thy face to have a seeing.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) ii. i. 74 Their Hats are pluckt about their Eares, And halfe their Faces buried in their Cloakes. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 600 His face Deep scars of Thunder had intrencht. View more context for this quotation
1707 J. Floyer Physician's Pulse-watch 374 Uneasiness from dryness and redness of the Face.
1747 J. Wesley Let. 10 July (1931) II. 106 It cannot be long..before..we shall both see pure light in the unclouded face of God.
1762 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting I. ii. 22 The ladies erected such pyramids on their heads, that the face became the center of the body.
1818 J. Brown Psyche 85 Like Janus with his bifold faces.
1828 R. Knox tr. H. Cloquet Syst. Human Anat. 93 The Face, properly speaking..extends vertically from the upper edge of the nasal bones to the chin.
1898 A. Conan Doyle Trag. Korosko ix. 276 He could see the faces of the guards in the firelight.
1901 Gray's Anat. (rev. ed.) 54 The skull..is divided into two parts, the Cranium and the Face.
1969 Daily Tel. 5 Sept. (Colour Suppl.) 33/3 A chin that slopes back from a face as pale and bland as mozzarella.
2006 H. Engel There was Old Woman i. 2 He had character written in every leathery line of his face.
b. The corresponding part of the front of the head in an animal.See also collared pig's face, hog's face, etc., at first element.
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the world > animals > animal body > general parts > head and neck > [noun] > face
facec1384
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Ezek. i. 6 And four facis [L. facies] to oon [beast] and four pennys to oon.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 623 (MED) Buglis, bolys, and many grete grifoun..Þat cruelly by sygnes of her facys Vp-on her foon made fel manacys.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Job xli. 14 Who openeth the dore of his face? for he hath horrible tethe rounde aboute.
1611 Bible (King James) Ezek. x. 14 The face of a lion, and..the face of an eagle. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 138 His grim Face a Bull's Resemblance bears. View more context for this quotation
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 785 Brutes graze the mountain-top, with faces prone.
1793 Compl. Farmer (ed. 4) Colley Sheep, such sheep as have black faces and legs.
1845 S. Palmer Pentaglot Dict. (at cited word) The face of birds comprehends the ophthalmic regions, cheeks, temples, forehead, and vertex.
1868 Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 2 46 Antennae inserted as in E. legionis, viz., the margin of a cavity raised about each at the front and sides and a deep channel down the middle of face.
1901 M. C. Dickerson Moths & Butterflies ii. 125 A cat uses its paws to wash its face.
1948 H. V. Morton In Search of S. Afr. 261 The meerkat... Two large eyes ringed with black fur and set in an inquisitive snouted face.
2006 S. M. Stirling Sky People iii. 89 Green eyes burned in the face of an ancient eagle.
c. A representation of a face, esp. in art.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation > of living thing > of human figure > of part of
handOE
headOE
heart1446
face1488
tongue1488
mask1790
1488 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 85 Item, a ring with a face.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 636 Hee's a..Painter: for he makes faces . View more context for this quotation
1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy iii. iii. sig. H That cardinall hath made more bad faces with his oppression than euer Michael Angelo made good ones.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I. at Profil A Face or Head set sideways, as usually on Medals..is said to be in Profil.
1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Basset-table in Court Poems 4 Upon the bottom [of an Equipage] shines the Queen's Bright Face.
1832 W. Irving Alhambra I. 111 Carved with fruits and flowers, intermingled with grotesque masks or faces.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 503 Walker had arrived in London..His face was in every print shop.
1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad xviii. 194 The photograph of a footballer is pasted over the face of the queen.
1970 Canad. Antiques Collector Jan. 30/1 Mask jugs, in which a face..formed the shape of the front of the jug.
2001 P. Burston Shameless ix. 123 The door whore..whose face was never missing from the pages of the gay freesheets.
2. The countenance as having particular qualities or attributes.
a. Regarded as expressive of feeling or character, or as having a specified expression.long, straight face, etc.: see first element. to have a face as long as a fiddle: see fiddle n. Phrases.
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the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > [noun]
anlethOE
cheerc1225
countenancec1330
facec1330
visage1338
frontc1374
vult?a1400
maid facec1450
walte1524
facies1565
museau1816
shade1817
coupon1962
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 1138 So gretliche sche awondred was Þat hir chaunged blod and fas.
c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 680 Fortune..wol..couere hire brighte face with a clowde.
c1460 (a1449) J. Lydgate Legend St. Austin (Harl. 2255) l. 204 in Minor Poems (1911) i. 199 Ther roos up oon out of his sepulture, Terrible of face.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Erasmus in Panoplie Epist. 357 They..with a smiling face promise us their benevolence.
1608 Bp. J. Hall Pharisaisme & Christianity 79 And all this with a face of sad piety and sterne mortification.
1611 Bible (King James) Ezra ix. 7 For our iniquities have we..bin deliuered to confusion of face.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. i. 13 They weare their faces to the bent Of the Kings lookes. View more context for this quotation
1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode iv. i. 59 I..hate the set face That always looks as it would say Come love me.
1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy III. x. 35 With a wry face..[he] read aloud, as follows.
1780 C. Dibdin Shepherdess of Alps i. vi. 13 Would you visit your mistress with a face a yard long?
1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood xvii. 133 He had the haggard face of a prisoner.
1893 Harper's Mag. Mar. 643/1 With a look of determination on his face, [he] squared himself to write.
1945 G. Millar Maquis xi. 226 Boulaya met us with a long face.
1953 H. Miller Plexus (1963) iv. 137 All I felt called upon to do was to keep a straight face.
1995 P. McCabe Dead School (1996) 341 They looked at the bright hopeful happy faces of the children.
2000 T. Carew Jihad! (2001) ix. 255 A few weeks later, I saw him again, coming out of training wing with a face like thunder.
b. Viewed with reference to its attractiveness or degree of beauty.
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the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > [noun] > with reference to beauty
facec1390
c1390 G. Chaucer Sir Thopas 1891 This were a popet [v.r. pepet] in an arm tenbrace For any womman smal and fair of face.
a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) l. 34 The pardowner, beerdlees al his Chyn, Glasy-Eyed and face of Cherubyn.
1542 T. Becon in M. Coverdale tr. H. Bullinger Golden Bk. Christen Matrimonye Pref. sig. A.vii Beauty of face, before honest qualities & godly vertues.
c1590 C. Marlowe Faustus xiii. 91 Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships.
1611 Bible (King James) Judith xi. 21 There is not such a woman from one end of the earth to the other..for beautie of face . View more context for this quotation
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 17 Young Lords, very handsome, both as to Face and Body.
1714 A. Pope Rape of Lock (new ed.) i. 5 Some Nymphs there are, too conscious of their Face.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. i. viii. 46 A good, honest, plain Girl, and not vain of her Face.
1832 ‘B. Cornwall’ Songs xxi. 22 No wealth had she, of mind or face To win our love, or raise our pride.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Sisters 2 She was the fairest in the face.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond II. ii. v. 90 Rachel, Viscountess Castlewood, had no more face than a dumpling.
1907 Spirit Lake (Iowa) Beacon 22 Feb. 2 A pretty girl, whose face was her fortune.
1990 D. Peterson Dress Gray v. 148 She was..unstriking in face and figure.
c. Conceived as the sum of the eyes and other sense organs; hence sometimes contextually equivalent to ‘sight, presence’. Now chiefly in before (a person's) face, before the face of, to a person's face, etc.: see Phrases 4.See also full-face n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > presence > [noun] > a person's presence or immediate surroundings
presencec1330
presentc1330
facea1398
presency1542
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vi. xviii. 317 Oure lord is riȝtful..and his face seeþ equite.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. l. 1589 (MED) Philoteas with his wardis tweyne, Euene in þe face, manly hem with-stood.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 532/1 Ye shoulde see the whole summe and effecte of this tale..before your face layed together.
1565 T. Stapleton tr. Bede Hist. Church Eng. v. xxii. f. 188 Vtterly to seclude from your presence and face..the habit..and figure of his countinaunce.
1579 T. Salter Mirrhor of Modestie sig. Ei [She] sodainly saied with a loude voice: Oh a voide, a voide from before my face and presence this bolde prattler.
1752 H. Fielding Examples Interposition of Providence 11 How much more dreadful indeed was the alternative of being banished from the face of God.
1860 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 344/1 But how to cross the stream, even then, in the full face and sight of his enemies.
d. Characterized by its position in the front of the body, or as the part presented in encounters and confrontations. See also Phrases 5, and cf. face-to-face adj.
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19785 Til-ward þat like he turnd his face, And kneland soght godd of his grace.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 65/1 Some..not able to dissemble theyr sorow, were faine at his backe to turne their face to the wall.
1577 R. Holinshed Chron. II. 1038/2 [He] was set on Horsebacke, with his face towardes the tayle.
1740 S. Richardson Pamela I. 55 Having been crying, at his Roughness in the Entry, I turn'd away my Face.
1789 J. Williams Nat. Hist. Mineral Kingdom I. 102 You advance..with your face towards the southwest.
1833 J. Nyren Young Cricketer's Tutor 42 The point all the while must keep his face towards the batter.
1989 B. Head Tales Tenderness & Power (1990) 43 She returned the greeting, keeping her face..carefully averted.
2000 D. Adebayo My Once upon Time (2001) iii. 51 As I approached, she..glared then turned her face away.
e. With modifying adjective. By metonymy: a person.Recorded earliest in new face n. 1. Cf. also pretty face n. 1.
ΚΠ
a1513 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen in Poems (1998) I. 42 I suld at fairis be found new faceis to se.
1702 Compar. between Two Stages 80 This I know of that Play, that a great number of strange Faces came to it the first Day.
1841 Times 7 Dec. 7/2 The defendant was one of the ‘old familiar faces’ at the court.
1864 H. Lushington Happy Home xxiv. 223 Another tearful face left Beauchamp Towers that same day—one of the girls brought up in Miss Beauchamp Sauvry's school.
1961 N. Roy Black Albino 55 I am getting near the time when my spirit craves new lands and old faces.
2002 A. Holmes Sleb i. 5 Aaron was strictly B-to C-list. The kind of familiar face you might expect to see on a quiz show.
f. With preceding nouns and adjectives designating types of faces; also applied to people regarded as having such faces (sometimes as terms of endearment, abuse, etc.): angel, baby, brass-, doll's, fat-, funny-, hatchet-face, etc.; (with the names of animals) dog's, fish-, frog-, hog's, kitten, monkey face, etc. Sometimes informally designating medical (esp. skin) conditions, as copper-, fiery-, frog-, moon-face, etc.; occasionally characterized by a day or month, as February, Friday-face.
3. figurative. Command of facial expression; composure, coolness, boldness. In later use often connoting absence of shame: impudence, effrontery, cheek (cf. also sense 15). Now chiefly in to have the face (to do something) at Phrases 6a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > [noun]
hardiessec1300
boldness1377
malapertness?a1439
over-boldnessc1450
insolencya1513
protervitya1527
impudency1529
sauce malapert1529
petulancy1537
procacitya1538
audacity1545
sauceliness1552
forehead1564
hardihead1579
hardihood1594
outfacing1598
audaciousness1599
impudentness1599
petulancea1600
impertinency1609
impertinence1612
impudencea1616
procacya1620
affrontedness1640
brow1642
front1653
insolence1668
affrontery1679
assurance1699
effrontery1715
affrontiveness1721
swagger1725
imperence1765
cheek1823
sassiness1834
cheekiness1838
pawk1855
gall1882
chutzpah1886
face1890
mouth1891
crust1900
rind1901
smarting1902
hide1916
brass neck1937
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cxxiii. f. lxi/1 They yssued out in good order: and made good face to fyght and..to putte their lyues in aduenture.
1552 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16279) Administr. Lordes Supper sig. N.iiv With what face then, or with what countenaunce shal ye heare these wordes?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) v. i. 10 Thinking by this face To fasten in our thoughts that they haue Courage. View more context for this quotation
1654 T. Warren Vnbeleevers 85 He a man of that face and fore-head.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 162 With What Face can I say any Thing?
1734 A. Pope Epist. to Arbuthnot 36 To be grave, exceeds all Pow'r of Face.
1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 13 None are more blest with the advantages of face than doctor Franks.
1862 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia III. xiv. v. 693 The new Kur-Mainz..conscious of face sufficient.
1890 Spectator 1 Nov. What an amount of ‘face’ it argues in him.
1976 N. Emery Washington vii. 122 Bouquet's brave reply had more face than fact about it.
4. colloquial. A particular expression or distortion of the features; a grimace. Chiefly in to make (also pull) a face at Phrases 2. to cut faces: see cut v. 25.Joseph Delcourt, in Essai sur la Langue de Sir Thomas More (1914), interprets quot. 1533 as perhaps ‘grimace’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > [noun] > grimace or distortion
mowc1330
mopa1475
mocks and mows1508
murgeons?a1513
face1533
smile1550
smilet1591
mump1592
ruffle1602
frown1608
stitcha1625
grimace1651
grimask1671
simagre1680
moppet1693
distortion1718
throw1790
rictus1827
mug1844
monkey-face1939
1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance i. xii. f. lxxiiiiv For fyrste he casteth my contradiccion as a vye, to wyt whyther I wold geue yt ouer with a face.
1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 240 Leaue thy damnable faces and begin.
1604 T. Middleton Ant & Nightingale sig. C4v The fantasticall faces he coynd in the receiuing of the smoake.
1888 Mrs. H. Ward Robert Elsmere II. ii. xviii. 102 ‘The adjective is excellent,’ she said with a little face.
1998 J. Evanovich Four to Score 20 ‘Then she called me some names.’ He gave me a face like Maxine had hurt his feelings.
5. slang.
a. Used as a form of address (with contextual implication of affection, disdain, etc.).Well attested in African-American jazz slang from the 1940s.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun] > familiar form of address
mon amic1425
matec1500
boy1532
old lad1594
old boy1602
captaina1616
mon cher1673
old chap1823
old man1828
ou maat1838
boysie1846
old top1856
boetie1867
bra1869
cocker1888
mon vieux1888
face1891
yessir1892
George1903
old sport1905
old bean1917
segotia1917
babe1918
bro1918
tovarish1918
old egg1919
midear1921
old (tin of) fruit1923
sport1923
mush1936
cowboy1961
coz1961
wack1963
yaar1963
John1982
1891 J. S. Farmer Slang II. 363 Face... A qualification of contempt: e.g., ‘Now face! where are you a-shoving of?’
1923 P. G. Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves xvii. 232 I ran into young Bingo Little... ‘Hello, face,’ I said. ‘Cheerio, ugly,’ said young Bingo.
1938 D. Smith Dear Octopus i. 38 Come on, face—don't get mopey.
1946 M. Mezzrow & B. Wolfe Really Blues xiii. 235 Later on everybody started using the expression ‘Face’ as a greeting: You'd say ‘Watcha know, Face,’ and the answer would come back, ‘Nothin' to it, Face.’
1981 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 18 Jan. vi. 6/3 Some [black slang] is descriptive: Face is used as a salutation when you remember the face but not the name—‘Hey, Face, what's goin' down?’
2002 Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) (Nexis) 16 June g5 I was teased so long at work. ‘Hey, Face, how's that apprenticeship coming?’
b. Originally U.S. An individual, a person.Used with varying degrees of contempt or admiration. In African-American usage sometimes applied spec. to a white person; in British slang formerly denoting a member of a subgroup within the 1960s ‘mod’ movement (see mod n.4, and cf. ace-face n. at ace n.1 and adj.1 Compounds).
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > [noun]
hadc900
lifesmaneOE
maneOE
world-maneOE
ghostOE
wyeOE
lifeOE
son of manOE
wightc1175
soulc1180
earthmanc1225
foodc1225
person?c1225
creaturec1300
bodyc1325
beera1382
poppetc1390
flippera1400
wat1399
corsec1400
mortal?a1425
deadly?c1450
hec1450
personagec1485
wretcha1500
human1509
mundane1509
member1525
worma1556
homo1561
piece of flesh1567
sconce1567
squirrel?1567
fellow creature1572
Adamite1581
bloat herringa1586
earthling1593
mother's child1594
stuff1598
a piece of flesh1600
wagtail1607
bosom1608
fragment1609
boots1623
tick1631
worthy1649
earthlies1651
snap1653
pippin1665
being1666
personal1678
personality1678
sooterkin1680
party1686
worldling1687
human being1694
water-wagtail1694
noddle1705
human subject1712
piece of work1713
somebody1724
terrestrial1726
anybody1733
individual1742
character1773
cuss1775
jig1781
thingy1787
bod1788
curse1790
his nabs1790
article1796
Earthite1814
critter1815
potato1815
personeityc1816
nibs1821
somebody1826
tellurian1828
case1832
tangata1840
prawn1845
nigger1848
nut1856
Snooks1860
mug1865
outfit1867
to deliver the goods1870
hairpin1879
baby1880
possum1894
hot tamale1895
babe1900
jobbie1902
virile1903
cup of tea1908
skin1914
pisser1918
number1919
job1927
apple1928
mush1936
face1944
jong1956
naked ape1965
oke1970
punter1975
1944 D. Burley Orig. Handbk. Harlem Jive 138 Face, white person.
1945 L. Shelly Hepcats Jive Talk Dict. 11/1 Face, a white man.
1964 New Statesman 10 Apr. 555/2 A ‘face’ is a person, usually someone worthy of admiration.
1964 Observer 24 May 12/5 Fashions are usually started by Faces—the name for trend-pushing Mods.
1978 S. Kopp End to Innocence 107 I was partying with some bad faces over in the East Bronx.
1997 P. H. Herbst Color of Words 83/1 Often, among African American users, face is a mildly or potentially derogatory word for a white person... ‘There were some bad faces in the room.’
6. Sport (chiefly Ice Hockey). = face-off n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > ice hockey > [noun] > action of (re)starting play
face-off1886
face1898
1898 H. E. Byers in W. A. Morgan ‘House’ on Sport 211 The ‘face’ is a feature of the game [sc. lacrosse].
1900 Daily News 29 Mar. 7/5 Kent opened proceedings with a goal by Jones immediately after the ‘face’.
2006 D. G. Pietramala & N. A. Grauer Lacrosse (ed. 2) 113 A check that generates so power it gets out of control and exposes him to a face or roll dodge.
7. colloquial (extended from sense 1a). Make-up, cosmetics. Usually in to do (also to put on) one's (or a) face: (of a woman) to apply cosmetics. See also to fix one's face at fix v. 14b.Occasionally also: a bag containing make-up, a make-up kit.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > beautify the skin or complexion [verb (intransitive)]
to do (also to put on) one's (or a) face1923
to fix one's face1933
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion
paste?a1425
pomatum1562
reparation1579
pomade1598
lustrification1631
butter?1762
war-paint1869
toiletry1917
face1923
make-up1932
1923 W. S. Maugham Our Betters i. 45 A wonderful woman who comes every morning to do my face.
1939 M. Lowry Let. 9 Sept. in Sursum Corda! (1995) I. 229 It cannot be lipstick, unless it is teleportedly yours: perhaps you were putting on a face, as I wrote.
1946 G. Millar Horned Pigeon xx. 327 She uncovered a dressing-case of..obvious costliness... ‘You don't intend to leave that thing lying around?’ ‘Why not?.. It's my face.’
1957 J. Frame Owls do Cry i. xiv. 62 How dare you watch me put on my face.
1963 A. Lubbock Austral. Roundabout 10 My ‘face’, a small bag with make-up and washing things.
1966 ‘C. E. Maine’ B.E.A.S.T. v. 59 You've caught me with my face off. Give me three minutes.
2007 Adventure Trav. Jan. 94/1 There's a removeable make-up guard near the chin, for those who like to put on their face before hitting the slopes.
8. A wrestler who is cast as the hero or ‘good guy’ in a bout of professional wrestling; = baby face n. 3. [Short for baby face n.]
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > wrestling > [noun] > wrestler > types of
sumo1864
sumotori1884
ozeki1892
sumo1893
yokozuna1894
rikishi1907
mud-wrestler1936
baby face1948
luchador1953
heel1958
wrist-wrestler1978
face1998
curtain jerker1999
1998 S. Mazer Professional Wrestling ii. 26 The ‘good guy’—in wrestling circles referred to as the ‘babyface’, often simply the ‘face’.
2006 Today (Duncanville, Texas) 14 Sept. (In Common section) 1/3 Initially Angle attempted wrestling as a ‘face’, a hero-type, but the fans became bored of his patriotic gimmick.
2012 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 4 Apr. s2 Like any good heel, he's flirted with becoming a ‘face’ (wrestling for nice guys) at times this season.
II. The part of a thing presented to view.
9. The surface, or one of the surfaces, of anything.† c. The surface of a leaf in a book. Obsolete.Later only in contextual use; hence merged with or understood as sense 11.
a. gen. The upper or outer surface of a thing. Frequently in renderings of biblical expressions, or phrases after these. Now chiefly in the face of the earth. †the face of the deep (also †the face of the waters): the surface of the sea. [In the face of the earth after post-classical Latin facies terrae (Vulgate; after biblical Hebrew ʿal-pnē ha-'areṣ (compare also ʿal-pnē hā-adāmāh on the face of the ground)); compare Anglo-Norman face de la terre (12th cent.), itself after Latin. In the face of the deep after post-classical Latin facies abyssi (Vulgate; after biblical Hebrew ʿal-pnē ṯĕhom (compare also ʿal-pnē hamm̄ayim on the face of the waters)).]
ΚΠ
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Jer. xxxv. 7 In tabernaclis ȝee shul dwellen alle ȝoure daiys þat ȝee lyue manye daiys vp on the face of þe lond [L. faciem terrae].
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. vii. 4 Þat þe seed be sauid vpon þe face [L. faciem] of all erþ.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 4892 Þe face of þe erth sal brin with-out.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique f. 92 Al men dispersed throughoute the face of the earthe.
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall i. f. 8v Certaine Tynne-stones, lying on the face of the ground.
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. i. 2 Darkenesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters . View more context for this quotation
1665 R. Hooke Micrographia 88 When there has been a great hoar-frost..the..Crystalline beard..usually covers the face of..bodies.
1698 J. Keill Exam. Theory Earth (1734) 140 That great Deluge of waters which..overflowed the Face of the whole Earth.
1791 Ess. Shooting (ed. 2) 230 If he is clad in a glaring colour, when the face of the country retains its verdure.
1833 T. Hook Parson's Daughter III. xi. 285 More like Noah's Ark than any thing that has been since seen floating upon the face of the waters.
1887 W. P. Frith Autobiogr. I. i. 3 Such schools..being improved off the face of the earth.
1990 Harper's Mag. Aug. 30/2 One of the coolest bands on the face of the planet.
2001 S. Walton You heard it through Grapevine ii. 17 E. & J. Gallo,..biggest single wine-producing company on the face of the earth.
b. Astrology. Each of three equal parts, extending over 10 degrees of longitude, into which each sign of the zodiac is divided. Also called decan.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > celestial sphere > zone of celestial sphere > [noun] > Zodiac > sign of zodiac > third of
facec1386
faciesa1398
decan1588
decanate1647
c1386 Almanac (1812) 3 The faces of planetys ar knowen..on þis wyse: euerilk a syne es devyded in 30 grece. þan dyvyde 30 in 3 partis equale, & þer sal be in ilk parte 10 grece þat ar called one face.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Squire's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 42 Phebus..was ny his exaltacioun In Martes face and his mansioun.
a1500 ( J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 621 (MED) His duellyng place Ameddis the heuen in the thrid face.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xxxiv. 631 The Moone..was in ye first face of Virgo.
a1640 P. Massinger City-Madam (1658) ii. ii. 65 Shee in her Exaltation, and he in his Triplicitie trine, and face.
1789 M. Sibly tr. P. Titi Astron. & Elem. Philos. 14 ♂ hath the first face in ♈.
1922 Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. 37 41 Each sign of the zodiac is divided, for astrological purposes, into three equal parts: from one to ten degrees is called the first face, from ten to twenty the second face, and from twenty to thirty, the third face.
2005 Mountain Astrologer Feb. (Mercury Direct section) 12/2 Here you can see, for each planet, the Ruler, Exaltation, Triplicity, Term, Face, and Detriment lords and its dignity score, with peregrine planets noted.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > leaves or pages of book > [noun] > leaf > side of leaf
face1550
1550 J. Hooper Godly Confession To Rdr. sig. Aivv In ye letter G. the sixt face, and syxte lyne,..ther is printed Saynt Paule confesseth, for s. Paule confuteth.
c1575 W. Fulke Confut. Doctr. Purgatory (1577) 5 I will come to the third leafe and second face.
1579 W. Fulke Refut. Rastels Confut. in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 730 From the first face of the 64 leafe to the seconde face of the 47 leafe.
10.
a. The acting, striking, or working surface of an implement, tool, or the like; the edge of a knife, sword, etc.; the surface of a tooth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > sharpness of edge or point > [noun] > sharp edge
edgeOE
facea1382
cutting edge1825
knife-edge1871
knife-blade1902
society > occupation and work > equipment > tool > parts of tools generally > [noun] > other parts
neck?a1425
buttc1425
cheek1487
wing1577
face1601
ear1678
wood1683
strig1703
thumb-piece1760
jaws1789
crown1796
lug1833
sprig1835
point angle1869
bulb1885
nosepiece1983
the world > life > the body > digestive or excretive organs > digestive organs > mouth > substance or parts of teeth > [noun] > crown and parts
mensa1684
crown1733
cusp1849
face1872
hypocone1888
hypoconid1888
tritocone1896
hypoconulid1897
talon1898
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xxi. 15 Fro the face [L. facie] forsothe of swerdes thei fledden.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos i. 11 To that other she gyueth to be subgette to the face of the ryght blody swerde.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xxxiv. xvi. 514 There is of it [sc. steel] which serueth better for stithy or anuill heads, the faces of hammers [L. malleorum..rostra], [etc.].
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. i. 4 (fig. 5) A [is] the Face [of a hammer].
1791 Ess. Shooting (ed. 2) 345 The face of the hammer [of the gun]..may be too hard or too soft.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Face, the edge of a sharp instrument.
1872 T. H. Huxley Lessons Elem. Physiol. (ed. 6) vi. 143 The face of the grinding teeth and the edges of the cutting teeth.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 822/2 Face,..4. (Carpentry)..b. The sole of a plane.
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. 133 The face of an anvil is its upper surface.
1974 Jrnl. Engin. Materials & Technol. July 163/2 The built-up edge which can form at the tool rake face.
1988 Jrnl. Human Evol. 17 745 It [sc. incisor shoveling] is sometimes so developed that the lingual face of the tooth is semi-circular in cross section.
2004 Tool & Machinery Catal. 2005 (Axminster Power Tool Centre Ltd.) xi. 20/3 The flat head looks as though a chord has been ground off the face of the hammer.
b. Sport. The striking surface of a cricket bat, golf club, tennis racket, etc.; the inside of the net of a lacrosse stick.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > [noun] > instrument for hitting ball > parts of
face1816
drive1867
meat1909
sweet spot1976
1816 W. Lambert Instr. & Rules Cricket 28 The face of the bat should be played square, and not one edge before the other.
1835 H. Harewood Dict. Sports 165 The face of the [golf] club is secured by a piece of dried bone.
1891 H. G. Hutchinson Hints on Golf (ed. 6) 15 The maker's name gives you a fine guide to the centre of the face, which is the intended point of impact.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 606/2 [Lacrosse] The leading string is then joined to the face of the gut by means of other pieces of gut, and the crosse is complete.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 613/2 [Lawn tennis] Avoid lop-sided or small-faced rackets, and see that the grain in the frame runs equally round the face.
1938 Times 1 Mar. 7 The Danish [badminton] champion, who uses the same face of the racket for both forehand and backhand strokes.
1992 Golf Monthly May 33 (advt.) The face of the club is now well defined, with a sharper top line, for accurate alignment.
11. One of the surfaces of something having (or conceived as having) two sides, esp. the one generally presented.
a. The side of the moon, sun, etc., which faces the observer and appears as an illuminated disc. Often in poetic personifications.In early use, when applied to the moon, sometimes = phase n.2 (perhaps by confusion).
ΚΠ
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 115 Þe mone chaungiþ figure & schap, for he schewiþ toward þerþe diuers face of his liȝt.
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 2504 Tymys foure the mone hath hid hire face.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 164 To luke vpone his [sc. the sun's] fresche and blisfull face.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica vi. i. 278 In what face or position of the Moone, whether at the prime or full, or soone after. View more context for this quotation
1651 W. Davenant Gondibert v. ii. 16 Others with Optick Tubes the Moons scant face..Attract through Glasses.
1766 R. Griffith & E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances III. 113 The Sun hides its Face, for Grief.
1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 4 The wintry flood, in which the moon Sees her unwrinkled face reflected bright.
1859 Ahmed the Cobbler i. i, in Home Dramas for young People 88 Why, my dear, I know nothing about the faces of the moon, except the man's face!
1886 R. L. Stevenson Strange Case Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 20 Under the face of the fogged city moon.
1951 D. Du Maurier My Cousin Rachel xxi. 259 The rounded face of the near full moon showed plain over the eastern hills.
2003 J. Scalzi Rough Guide to Universe x. 150 It [sc. Charon] is tidally locked to Pluto (always showing the same face to the planet, just as our own moon does).
b. Either side of a coin or medal, esp. the side bearing the effigy.Formerly also (slang): †a coin (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surface > [noun] > front surface > specifically of a coin, medal, seal, die, etc.
face?1518
obverse1658
?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.ijv Some wente in fured gownes..That had no mo faces than had the mone.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 606 The face of an olde Roman coyne. View more context for this quotation
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Nare-a-face-but-his-own, not a Penny in his Pocket.
1715 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics (ed. 2) 172 Your Antiquaries make out the most ancient Medals from a Letter..with great Difficulty to be discerned upon the Face and Reverse.
1762 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 23/1 The face [of a coin] should have a resembling bust of his majesty.
1814 Edinb. Ann. Reg. 1812 5 96/1 A silver coin of the Emperor Gordianus. On the face is a head of the emperor, with a radiated crown.
1856 W. H. Smyth Descr. Catal. Roman Family Coins 233 The portrait on the other face of the medal.
1965 Master Drawings 3 45/2 On the face of the medal..it is a cape that is worn over the gown.
2000 N.Y. Times 8 Aug. a16/5 Such coins, with an incorrect striking on one face, are..rare.
c. The side of some object or material which is usually presented outwards or upwards; the ‘front’ as opposed to the ‘back’; the right side (of a fabric or material).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surface > [noun] > front surface
foresidec1400
frontc1540
confrontment1604
face1611
frontside1697
obverse1833
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > right side of
right side1511
side1511
face1831
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. xxv. 7 He wil destroy in this mountaine the face of the couering cast ouer all people. View more context for this quotation
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 31 The Dressing-Block..is to run over the Face of the [printing] Form.
1756 G. Smith tr. Laboratory (new ed.) II. iii. 68 Let the decay'd picture be well cleaned, and spread with its face downwards upon a smooth table.
1820 J. Keats Cap & Bells xxxix. 1 They kiss'd..the carpet's velvet face.
1831 G. R. Porter Treat. Silk Manuf. 237 Diagonal lines..across the face of the cloth.
1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour vi. 89 The hollow under the face of the boss was open towards the reverse of the shield.
1883 E. Beckett Rudim. Treat. Clocks (ed. 7) 146 The face of a wheel which turns in a gear.
1888 C. P. Brooks Cotton Manuf. 127 The face of the card or the side which is in contact with the needles.
1977 Kitchens & Bathrooms (Time Life Bks.) i. 26/1 (caption) Most mosaic tile comes in sheets held together..by paper on the face of the tiles or by mesh on the back.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 14 Oct. v. 3/2 This smart chip..is usually visible as a small gold or silver circuit board on the face of the [credit] card.
d. The inscribed side of a document, letter, etc. Hence (chiefly Law) on (also upon, from) the face of: (a document, etc.) in the words of, in the plain sense of; also figurative. See also on (also †in) the face of it at Phrases 8g.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > written text > layout > [noun] > inscribed side of document
face1632
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > [adverb]
formally1526
in the same sense1534
to that sense1594
explicitly1605
evolvedlya1641
on (also upon, from) the face of1719
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vi. 288 Their Great Seale..locked in vpon the lower face of the Parchment.
1719 F. Hare Church-authority Vindicated Pref. 8 The power and authority of the Ministers..as it appears upon the face of Scripture.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. xxiv. 106 An unprejudiced eye, upon the face of the letter, would condemn the writer of it.
1770 Earl of Chatham in ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) I. Pref. p. xiii The court..are so confined to the record, that they cannot take notice of any thing that does not appear on the face of it.
1817 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. 1248 It ought to appear on the face of the plea, that [etc.].
a1832 J. Bentham Ess. Lang. in Wks. (1843) VIII. 327 Of the history of language, no inconsiderable part remains to this day written upon the face of it.
1877 Ann. Rep. Inspectors State Prison in Charities & Corrections Michigan 46 The following gathered from the account with Mr. Hollingsworth and from the face of the contracts with him.
1908 C. R. Scargill-Bird Guide to P.R.O. 81 The Signet Letter..omitting from the face of the document both the name and titles of the King and of the person to whom it was addressed.
1922 People's Home Jrnl. July 26/1 He had laid that letter face upward beside his plate.
1994 E. A. Martin Dict. Law (ed. 3) at Intention of testator There are rules of construction to enable the testator's intention to be ascertained where it is not clear from the face of the will.
e. The distinctive side of a playing card. Cf. face card n. at Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > picture side of card
face1645
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ iii. xxxi. 110 The King never shows his game, but throws his cards with their faces down on the table.
1748 H. Walpole Let. to H. Mann 26 Dec. (1833) II. 68 Mr. Rodney owns he was a little astonished at seeing the Count shuffle with the faces of the cards upwards.
1805 New Pocket Hoyle 117 He then deals the first card with its face upwards, saying Noir.
1929 Amer. Speech 4 344 A mirrorlike surface on a finger ring, enabling a card dealer to see the reflected face of every card as he deals it.
1999 P. Quarrington Spirit Cabinet xx. 257 Preston approached with the cards spread so that Rudolfo could see the dissimilar faces.
f. The surface or plate which bears the marks, digits, or hands on a watch, clock, or similar dial (perhaps originally with allusion to the human face).clock-, compass-face, etc.: see first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > instruments for measuring time > clock > [noun] > part(s) of > dial or markings on dial
tablea1400
dial1440
watch1588
punctilio1596
dial platea1652
recliner1652
dial piece1658
face1659
horary circle1664
night dial1670
horizontal dial1674
hour-stroke1674
hour-plate1690
clock face1764
niche1822
1659 J. Moxon Tutor to Astron. & Geogr. v. ii. 148 Both faces of this Dyal ought to be divided, and the Gnomon must appear on both sides.
1696 W. Derham Artific. Clock-maker ii. 21 The hours of the face of the Clock (viz. 12 or 24).
1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) at Perambulator A rolling Wheel..with..a Face divided like a Clock,..to shew how many Yards..one goes in driving it before him.
1787 Columbian Mag. 1 329/1 The face of the dial will be parallel with the plane of the equator.
1837 J. W. Carlyle Lett. I. 87 Not watches so much as lockets with watch faces.
1840 R. H. Barham Look at Clock in Ingoldsby Legends 1st Ser. 60 ‘Grandmother's Clock!’..nothing was alter'd at all—but the Face!
1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table ix. 245 He looked at..the face of the watch,—said it was getting into the forenoon.
1962 E. Bruton Dict. Clocks & Watches (1963) 92 A pocket watch with a hinged lid over the face.
1993 New Yorker 18 Jan. 101/3 The luminous face of a clock.
g. The distinctive markings on the petals of a pansy or (less commonly) another flower, regarded as somewhat reminiscent of a human face. Cf. Phrases 1d.
ΚΠ
1836 ‘C. Elizabeth’ Chapters on Flowers xvi. 192 I..saw the little cheerful blossom uplifting its modest face to rejoice in the sunshine.
1891 E. A. Allen High-top Sweeting 111 The pansy's brilliant face, Looks up, with quaint grimace.
1896 Harper's Mag. Dec. 117 That pansy plant has kep' a pink face there for me all summer.
1942 Times 21 Nov. 8/6 Smiling pansy faces in unusually handsome colourings.
1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 5 Jan. (Weekend section) 30 Pansies have fancy painted faces, violas do not.
2007 V. Easton Pattern Garden x. 205 The beguiling faces of pansies, violas, and violets make us feel nostalgic no matter whether our grandparents ever lifted a spade.
12. The principal side, often vertical or steeply sloping, presented by an object; the ‘front’, as opposed to the ‘sides’ or ‘flanks’.
a. Architecture. The side of a structure, etc., that faces out; spec. (a) the front of a building, the facade; (b) the surface of a stone, brick, or the like, exposed in a wall; (c) the front of an arch showing the vertical surfaces of the outside row of voussoirs.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > [noun] > front or face
front1365
face1591
faciate1648
façade1656
frontsidea1699
frontage1861
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > architecture > arch > [noun] > parts of
coin1350
pendant1359
voussoir1359
springer1435
spandrel1477
spring?1553
pitch1615
kneeler1617
gimmalsa1652
face1664
of the third point1672
turn1677
sweep1685
hance1700
skew-back1700
summering1700
springing1703
tympan1704
hip1726
reins1726
rib1726
third point1728
quoin1730
archivolt1731
opening1739
soffit1739
shoulder1744
extrados1772
intrados1772
haunch1793
arch-stone1828
twist1840
coign1843
architrave1849
escoinçon1867
pulvino1907
pin1928
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > disposition of stones or bricks > [noun] > surface(s) of stone or brick
bedding1401
bed1700
face1703
head1827
1591 tr. True Newes Delftes-Isle sig. B 4 Whereupon was placed a chaire of sixe steps high..against ye face of the towne house.
1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1672) 17 The Face of the Building is narrow, and the Flank deep.
1664 J. Evelyn Acct. Archit. in tr. R. Fréart Parallel Antient Archit. 132 [The Architrave] is also frequently broken into two or three divisions, call'd by Artists Fascias, or rather, plain Faces.
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 133 By the Face of a Stone, Workmen mean that..Plain of the Stone that is to lie in the Front of the Work;..the..Back goes rough as it comes from the quarry.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 38 b One thing is proper..for the outward Face of the Wall, another for the cramming and filling up the middle Parts.
1765 T. H. Croker et al. Compl. Dict. Arts & Sci. II Face, in archit., the front of a building, or the side which contains the chief entrance. Face of a stone, in masonry, that superficies of it which lies in the front of the work.
1848 J. H. Parker Rickman's Styles Archit. Eng. (ed. 5) 20 The cornice of this order, in Greece, consisted of a plain face, under the mutule.
1861 A. Trollope Orley Farm (1862) I. i. 6 The face of the house from one end to the other was covered with vines and passion-flowers.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 822/2 Face (Carpentry), the front of a jamb presented towards the room.
1938 Amer. Home Jan. 58/4 Big windows..brought below the roof line, flush with the face of the building.
1970 N. Pevsner Cambridgeshire (Buildings of Eng.) (ed. 2) 509/2 [A] method of laying..bricks so that alternate headers and stretchers appear in each course on the face of the wall.
2001 S. Roaf et al. Ecohouse (2002) vii. 155 Commonly a large wall is constructed on the sun-orientated face of the building.
b. The near vertical side of a cliff, rock, or cutting; the more steeply sloping surface of a sand dune, snowdrift, or geological fault.cliff, rock, shore face: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > mountain > [noun] > side
mountainsidea1425
face1632
talus1830
versant1851
adret1922
ubac1922
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > cliff > [noun] > sea-cliff
sea-cliffc888
cliffeOE
face1632
nip1897
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vi. 290 A goodly Village..situate on the face of a fruitfull hill.
a1694 A. Balfour Lett. (1700) ii. 52 Some few Rooms clacht up against the face of a Rock, like a Bird cage upon the side of a Wall.
1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins II. xvi. 191 Along the whole Face of the Rock..there are Arch-ways.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth ii, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 65 The tree..had sent its roots along the face of the rock in all directions.
1839 R. I. Murchison Silurian Syst. i. xxxvi. 503 As the face of this fault sinks to the west.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 75 Our way now lay along the face of a steep incline of snow.
1909 Chatterbox 295/2 This had originally opened a steep and precipitous pathway down the face of the cliff.
1976 S. Judson et al. Physical Geol. xv. 364/2 Sand accumulates on the lee face [of a dune] until it reaches a critical angle..and then it slips downward and forward.
2005 Global Aug. 50 Tiny black dots skimming across the face of the cliffs revealed themselves to be condors.
c. New Zealand. An open slope or hillside.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > slope > [noun] > other
sea-slope1838
face1857
rand1939
powder slope1972
1857 St. Leonard's Station Diary 11 July in L. R. C. MacFarlane Amuri (1946) iii. 126 Sheep seem all right as all on steep sunny faces which have partly cleared.
1924 Otago Witness (Dunedin, N.Z.) 17 June 68 The big bare clay ‘faces’ on one side of the river, which look like cuttings.
1947 P. Newton Wayleggo (1949) iii. 37 It was country of great open shingle faces.
1992 Dominion Sunday Times (Wellington, N.Z.) 26 July 21 Vegetable sheep dot the most inhospitable faces.
d. Golf. The slope or cliff of a bunker.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > golf > golf course > [noun] > hazards > face of bunker
face1881
cliff1890
1881 R. Forgan Golfer's Handbk. 33 Face,..the sandy slope of a bunker.
1897 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport I. 466/1 Shall I play it backwards, or sideways on to the grass, or try to get it over the face of the bunker nearer the hole?
1910 B. Darwin Golf Courses Brit. Isles v. 105 We may be just short with our second..and we shall be battering the bunker's unyielding face till our card is shattered and wrecked.
1929 R. Kipling Compl. Stalky & Co. 372 He crawled unfastidiously to the next bunker furthest from the sea, descended its face, and disturbed an old ewe.
2004 GolfPunk Dec. 24/4 By the time I'd shanked my first bunker shot into a plugged lie in the bunker's face, I'd become a laughing stock.
e. Surfing. The wall of a wave. Cf. wall n.1 8f.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > water sports except racing > surfing > [noun] > types or parts of wave
pounder1927
dumper1933
take-off1935
greeny1940
beach break1954
beacher1956
big kahuna1959
greenback1959
close out1962
curl1962
shore break1962
shoulder1962
soup1962
tube1962
wall1962
face1963
peak1963
pipeline1963
set1963
reef break1965
surfable wave1965
point break1966
green room1968
slide1968
barrel1975
left-hander1980
A-frame1992
1963 B. Johnson Surf Fever 24 The head dip is usually only done on fast waves with a good high face (a good wall).
1991 A. Martin Walking on Water (1992) xxv. 96 He made a clean take-off, skidded down the face, and tracked the wave into the hazardous zone.
2007 Men's Fitness (Nexis) 1 June 118 Surfing the face of a 60-foot wave isn't a battle of wits.
13. Each of a number of surfaces of a solid; spec. each of the bounding planes of a regular geometric solid.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > surface > [noun] > one of several surfaces of a thing
facet1622
face1625
the world > relative properties > number > geometry > shape or figure > [noun] > element of > side or face
squarec1400
squadron1588
face1625
1625 in R. Sanderson Rymer's Fœdera (1726) XVIII. 239/1 One Aggett cutt with twoe Faces garnished with Dyamonds.
1680 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. xiii. 232 Then must an Hole be Turned in the Globe..and the Bottom of that Hole Turned flat, for one side or Face of the Cube.
1750 D. Jeffries Explan. Techn. Terms in Treat. Diamonds Collet..the small horizontal plane, or face, at the bottom of the Brilliant.
1777 R. E. Raspe tr. I. von Born Trav. Bannat of Temeswar ix. 56 The crystals have ten faces.
1822 tr. C. Malte-Brun Universal Geogr. I. 207 Amphibole crystallized in small prismatic columns, with four large faces, and three small ones.
1863 T. H. Huxley Evid. Man's Place Nature ii. 80 The occipital foramen of Mycetes..is situated completely in the posterior face of the skull.
1878 A. H. Green et al. Coal: Hist. & Uses i. 17 The faces of the block of coal on these sides are smooth and shining.
1981 F. Hoyle Ice iii. 52 Consider a uniform cube of solid material resting on one of its faces on the ground.
2002 Woodworker's Jrnl. June 16/1 The quartersawn sycamore and walnut in the visible faces of Dan's cabinet..came from recycled urban wood.
14. An even or polished surface.
ΚΠ
1881 Mechanic §449 Where one piece [of glass] is ground against another to bring them to a face.
1888 Lockwood's Dict. Mech. Engin. 133 The face of a casting is that surface which is turned or polished.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) II. 1129 A flat face is polished on a coal ball and etched slightly rough with suitable acid.
1976 Science Mar. 1045 A..thin section is then prepared with the previously polished face against the glass slide.
III. Outward form, appearance.
15. Outward show; artificial or assumed expression or appearance; pretence. Also: an instance of this, a disguise, a pretence; (formerly also) †a pretext. See also to put on a good (also bold, brave) face at Phrases 8b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [noun]
hue971
glozea1300
showingc1300
coloura1325
illusionc1340
frontc1374
simulationc1380
visage1390
cheera1393
sign?a1425
countenance?c1425
study?c1430
cloak1526
false colour1531
visure1531
face1542
masquery?1544
show1547
gloss1548
glass1552
affectation1561
colourableness1571
fashion1571
personage?1571
ostentation1607
disguise1632
lustrementa1641
grimace1655
varnish1662
masquerade1674
guisea1677
whitewash1730
varnish1743
maya1789
vraisemblance1802
Japan1856
veneering1865
veneer1868
affectedness1873
candy coating1885
simulance1885
window dressing1903
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [noun] > instance of
showa1500
making-upa1525
shine?1529
face1542
varnish1565
copy of one's countenance1579
false1598
mock-beggar1603
mockerya1616
umbrage1634
simulacrum1833
phoney war1939
the mind > will > motivation > [noun] > motive > specious motive or pretext
coloura1393
coverturec1440
pretexta1535
pretencea1538
stalking-horse1579
stale1580
face1647
stooping-horse1659
stall1851
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) 2 Cor. v. 12 Hem that glorien in the face [1611 and 1881 appearance; L. facie] and not in the herte.
1542 H. Brinkelow Lamentacion sig. Biiiv The pore forgotten, except it be with a fewe skrappes and boanes sent to newe gate for a face.
1572 J. Leslie Copie Let. out of Scotl. f. 37v [He] was executed, for a face of iustice, and to remoue suspicion from the principals.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 189 [He] never invaded the liberties of the Commons by any face of prerogative.
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 35 The very Court..put on a Face of just Concern, for the publick Danger.
1729 Bp. J. Butler Serm. in Wks. (1874) II. 39 If he puts on any..face of religion, and yet does not govern his tongue, he must surely deceive himself.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. 289 At the fall of day, the wretched Berthier, still wearing a face of courage, arrives at the Barrier.
1864 Times 28 Dec. 8 Governor Arthur put on a face of becoming gravity for the campaign [against the Tasmanian Aborigines].
1941 P. Hamilton Hangover Square v. i. 141 He wanted to remain on the stairs, thinking it all over, but he decided he must put a face on it.
2008 Financial Times (Nexis) 19 Jan. 11 Anthony gave every sign of showing how hard a man he was... It was..a final reminder that putting on a face is a necessity of life.
16.
a. External appearance, look; (also) semblance of (anything); an instance of this. Formerly used both of material and immaterial objects; now usually of immaterial things, esp. in to adopt (also assume, put on, etc.) the face of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > [noun]
hue971
shapec1050
form1297
casta1300
entailc1320
fashionc1320
featurec1325
tailc1325
suitc1330
figuringc1385
figure1393
makinga1398
fasurec1400
facea1402
makec1425
proportionc1425
figuration?a1475
protracture1551
physiognomy1567
set1567
portraiturea1578
imagerya1592
model1597
plasmature1610
figurature1642
scheme1655
morphosis1675
turn1675
plasma1712
mould1725
format1936
a1402 J. Trevisa tr. R. Fitzralph Defensio Curatorum (Harl.) (1925) 39 (MED) Demeþ nouȝt by þe face, but riȝtful doom ȝe deme.
c1430 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1871) l. 317 As aleyn In the pleynt of kynde Deuyseth nature In aray & face.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 41/1 His part should haue the face and name of a rebellion.
1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 137 This tale hath some face of truth.
1631 J. Weever Anc. Funerall Monuments 771 Monuments..which beare any face of comelinesse or antiquity.
1702 R. L'Estrange tr. Josephus Jewish Antiq. iv. vi, in Wks. 88 There was hardly any face left of the Order, Piety, and Devotion of Former times.
1725 I. Watts Logick Introd. 3 So Knavery puts on the Face of Justice, Hypocrisy and Superstition wear the Vizard of Piety.
1762 D. Hume Hist. Eng. to Henry VII II. 218 France began gradually to assume the face of a regular civil government.
1765 T. H. Croker et al. Compl. Dict. Arts & Sci. II Face of Plants, among botanists, signifies their general appearance.
1860 H. Gouger Two Years' Imprisonm. Burmah 41 I professed my ignorance of the touch of gold and the face of silver.
1997 CLIO (Nexis) 22 June Once the violence of the ideal becomes naturalized—that is, when violence adopts the face of propriety.
b. Visible state or condition; appearance, look; an instance of this. Also figurative: aspect, or an aspect, of something. to put a new face on (also †upon): to alter the aspect of; similarly to alter (change, etc.) the face of. Cf. new face n. 2 and the acceptable face of —— at acceptable adj. Phrases, human face n. at human adj. and n. Compounds 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > [noun]
onseneeOE
bleea1000
shapeOE
ylikeOE
laitc1175
semblanta1225
sightc1275
fare1297
showingc1300
specea1325
parelc1330
guise1340
countenance1362
semblance?a1366
apparel1377
regardc1380
apparencec1384
imagec1384
spicec1384
overseeminga1398
kenninga1400
seemingc1400
visage1422
rinda1450
semenauntc1450
'pearance1456
outwardc1475
representation1489
favour?a1500
figurea1522
assemblant1523
prospect?1533
respect1535
visure1545
perceiverance1546
outwardshine1549
view1556
species1559
utter-shape1566
look1567
physiognomy1567
face1572
paintry1573
visor1575
mienc1586
superficies?1589
behaviour1590
aspect1594
complexion1597
confrontment1604
show1604
aira1616
beseeminga1616
formality1615
resemblancea1616
blush1620
upcomea1630
presentment1637
scheme1655
sensation1662
visibility1669
plumage1707
facies1727
remark1748
extrinsica1797
exterior1801
showance1820
the cut of one's jib1823
personnel1839
personal appearance1842
what-like1853
look-see1898
outwall1933
visuality1938
prosopon1947
1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles xviii. 678 Paule set a newe face vppon this Citie, and vniuersallye reformed it.
1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) ii. v. 158/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I To stirre vp such an exquisite face of the church as we imagine.
1613 Bp. J. Hall Holy Panegyrick 7 We may reade Gods displeasure in the face of the heauen.
1638 R. Baker tr. J. L. G. de Balzac New Epist. II. 8 Lyvie..stayed not a little to consider the new face he would have put upon the Commonwealth.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists ii. v. 136 This was not a Face of Religion I was like to be enamour'd with.
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 19 The Face of London was now indeed strangely alter'd.
1783 Ann. Reg. 1781 Hist. Europe 24/2 The arrival of so many ships..caused a new face of affairs.
1791 C. Kearsley Stranger's Guide 190 The pruning hand of the late Mr. Brown has..entirely changed the face of these gardens.
1820 W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 215 A pensive quiet reigns over the face of nature.
1841 R. W. Emerson Man Reformer in Dial Apr. 537 Love would put a new face on this weary old world.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 284 The traces left by ages of slaughter and pillage were still distinctly perceptible..in the face of the country.
1968 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 114 877/2 Recent advances in pharmacology and therapeutics have altered the face of contemporary medical practice.
1973 E. Heath in Hansard Commons 15 May 1243 It is the unpleasant and unacceptable face of capitalism.
2007 Evening Post (Nottingham) (Nexis) 20 Dec. In 1830 less than 100 miles of [railway] track existed... By 1860 it was 10,400 miles, changing the face of the countryside forever.
c. The physical conformation of a country or terrain; the features that comprise it viewed collectively. Formerly also: †a description of this (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > [noun]
chorography1617
pedography1625
topography1642
paysage1650
face1673
the lie of the land1697
carte du pays1744
terrain1766
network1839
landscape1886
land form1893
microtopography1941
the world > the earth > earth sciences > geography > [noun] > physical geography > chorology or chorography > a chorography
chorography1596
face1673
1673 W. Temple Observ. United Provinces iii. 121 Changes..made in the face and bounds of Maritime Countreys..by furious Inundations.
1681 C. Cotton Wonders of Peake (ed. 6) 309 I almost believ'd it, by the Face Our masters give us of that unknown place.
1781 S. Johnson Addison in Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets V. 15 Comparisons of the present face of the country with the descriptions left us by the Roman poets.
1792 G. Morris in J. Sparks Life G. Morris (1832) II. 236 The military face of that country is understood with perfect exactness.
1802 G. Colman Poor Gentleman (new ed.) i. ii. 12 Vegetation makes the face of a country look frightful.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany vi. 78 The sun shone out, and I could observe the face of the country.
1967 Appraisal Terminol. & Handbk. (Amer. Inst. Real Estate Appraisers) (ed. 5) 51 Cultural features..[are] those additions..to the face of the land created by man;..for example, structures, highways, fences, etc.
2002 San Francisco Chron. (Nexis) 14 Apr. c1 The wrinkled, mountainous face of China's rugged interior.
17. Reputation, credit; honour, good name. Frequently in to lose face at Phrases 8h(a), to save face at Phrases 8h(b).Originally used by the English trading community in China. [Partly after Chinese liǎn face, moral character, and partly after miànzi face, social prestige. Compare to lose face at Phrases 8h(a), to save face at Phrases 8h(b) and etymological notes on those phrases.]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > [noun]
nameeOE
talec1175
fame?c1225
lose1297
creancec1330
stevenc1374
opinionc1384
credencec1390
recorda1393
renowna1400
reputationc1400
reportc1425
regardc1440
esteema1450
noisea1470
reapport1514
estimation1530
savour1535
existimationa1538
countenancea1568
credit1576
standing1579
stair1590
perfumec1595
estimate1597
pass1601
reportage1612
vibration1666
suffrage1667
rep1677
face1834
odour1835
rap1966
1834 Chinese Repository Dec. 391 It behooves the present fraternity to have ‘a tender regard for their face’, lest they should lose their present high reputation for propriety.
1898 Times 31 Mar. 9 Two thousand Russian troops have been landed..at this point, where, with a touching consideration for Chinese ‘face’, the Chinese flag is still allowed to fly.
1928 Travel Feb. 13/2 Making ‘Face’—the Chinese are adepts at it.
1958 Times 5 July 12/1 The importance of ‘face’, whether individually or collectively, in Japan.
1985 Amer. Ethnologist 12 87 It is in the direct interest of each of the opposing sides [in a Nuer feud] to pursue strategies of blood vengeance, for only thus can a side maximally preserve face.
2007 Australian (Nexis) 24 Jan. 4 To allow Mr Cobb and the Nationals to retain face, Mr Howard avoided demoting him to parliamentary secretary.
IV. Technical uses.† 19. A facing on a garment; (also apparently in early quots.) a piece of fur used for this. Cf. face v. 7, facing n. 6. Obsolete. N.E.D. (1898) suggests, for quot. 1562, ‘? a set of furs’. † 27. Formerly in the tea trade: a coating of some colouring substance given to tea. Cf. face v. 9. Obsolete. rare.
18. Fortification. Now historical.
a. The part of a defensive wall between two bastions; the outward-looking side of a curtain (cf. curtain n.1 4a).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > defensive walls > [noun] > wall of fortified town
wallc825
town wallc1325
dikec1400
murayc1400
face1489
curtain?a1560
antemural1614
1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes ii. xiv. 118 A proper place muste be ordeyned atte euery face of the walles for to sette gonnes.
1589 P. Ive Pract. Fortification 25 in tr. R. Beccarie de Pavie Instr. Warres Neither, if the Fort do stand well watered, need the face of the Curtin to be raised..higher then three or foure foote aboue the water.
1672 J. Lacey tr. A. Tacquet Mil. Archit. iii. 4 in T. Venn Mil. & Maritine Discipline ii The face, which is the weakest part of the Fortification, is defended by the flanques of the Bulwork and Courtine.
1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Face of a Place is the Front, that is comprehended between the flanked Angles of the two neighbouring Bastions.
1800 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1837) I. 190 I attacked it [sc. Dummul] in three places, at the gate-way and on two faces.
1839 A. Alison Hist. Europe from French Revol. VII. lii. 126 The efforts..had been directed against the northern face of the fortress of Seringapatam.
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 138/1 The Raponiers..are situated in the middle of each long face.
1990 C. Gravett Medieval Siege Warfare 6 Flanking towers jutted out beyond the wall, giving archers a field of fire along the face of the curtain.
b. Either of the two sides of a bastion which meet at the salient angle (cf. salient adj. 4, bastion n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > bastion > parts of
orecchionc1585
pome1598
face1648
orillon1648
gola1663
neck1668
gorge1669
neckline1672
shoulder1672
epaule1702
demi-gorge1706
pan1707
throat1728
1648 C. Cotterell & W. Aylesbury tr. E. C. Davila Contin. Civill Warres France xii. 1058 (margin) Orillons are the round shoulders at the ends of the faces of Bastions.
1676 London Gaz. No. 1119/3 About Noon, a Mine in a Face of the same Hornwork..took Fire.
1702 Mil. Dict. at Bonnet A Work consisting of two Faces, which make an Angle Saillant in the Nature of a small Ravelin.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. v. v. 478 Having made a breach in one of the bastions [we] destroyed the faces of the two that were adjacent.
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 261 The faces of a work are those parts which form a salient angle projecting towards the country.
1970 Art Bull. 52 446/2 Due to the poor design of the orillon, only one of these [cannons] could have been used for the defense of the neighboring bastion's face.
2003 Anatolian Stud. 53 79/1 (caption) Dorpfeld's photograph of the northern face of the northeast bastion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > trimmings or ornamentation > facing
reversa1382
face1562
facing1566
begary1575
1562 J. Heywood Epigr. i. lv Cheepening of a face of furre. Into a skinners shop..in hast ran a gentilman there to espie A fayre face of fur, which he woulde haue bought.
1592 in E. R. Brinkworth & J. S. W. Gibson Banbury Wills & Inventories (1976) I. 114 [Inventory of a skinner.] In the shope..1 face of fychev, 5s.; 2 faces of Iresh lam..and a dozen of black lame, [etc.].
1601 N. Breton No Whippinge, nor Trippinge sig. C3 I no scholer am: My masters gowne deserues no face of Satine: I neuer to degree of Master came.
1829 G. Oliver Hist. & Antiq. Beverley iii. iv. 368 [In the 16th cent.] the mayor was directed to wear,..on all public days, a gown with a face of fur and a tippet of velvet.
20. Cards. Short for face card n. at Compounds 2. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > picture-card
coat-card1563
coated card1566
coat1589
court-card1641
courtier1658
face1674
picture card1707
faced-card1708
pictured card?1770
face carda1804
1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester xxii. 149 If you have neither Ace nor Face, you may throw up your Game.
1913 M. C. Work Auction of To-day ii. 36 An Ace or face counting 2, and any lower card, 1.
1997 Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer (Nexis) 14 Nov. 1 [A belief] that if you rub the felt on the blackjack table just right you'll get faces and aces.
21. Typography and Printing.
a. In letterpress printing: that part of a piece of type which has the form of the letter.Sometimes with modifying word specifying its nature or quality, as full, heavy, light, modern, old, etc. (see the first element). face of the page: the upper side of the plate when set up for printing a page.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > types, blocks, or plates > relating to type > [noun] > parts of type
eye1611
face1683
foot1683
kern1683
shank1683
shoulder1683
counter1798
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 201 So plac'd, the Face of the Letter runs less hazzard of receiving dammage.
1699 A. Boyer Royal Dict. (at cited word) A Letter that has a good Face, (among Printers), Un Caractere qui a un bel œil.
1787 Smith's Printer's Gram. (new ed.) 41 Kerned Letters are such as have part of their Face hang over.
1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. 21 Short letters are all such as have their face cast on the middle of their square metal.
1853 Caxton & Art of Printing vii. 155 One of the heap which lies in the right position, both as regards the face being upwards, and the nick being outwards.
1871 Amer. Encycl. Printing 167/2 Face of the page, the upper side of the page, from which the impression is taken.
1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) III. 1049 In this metal the face of the letter intended to be cast is sunk.
1909 Times 17 Nov. 15 Duplicating presses which print from direct inking on the face of the type.
1998 M. L. Toor Graphic Design on Desktop 84 The term ‘face’ [sc. in typeface] originates from the days of metal type where the surface of the letters were raised and the face of the letter receiving the ink came into contact with the printing surface.
b. = typeface n. at type n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > printing > types, blocks, or plates > relating to type > style of type > [noun] > type face or font
letter1576
alphabet1658
font1664
fond1678
fount of type1683
face1876
typeface1887
1876 T. L. De Vinne Invention of Printing xxiii. 461 The combination of Gothic and Roman which he there exhibited is evidently an imitation of the Round Gothic face used by Gutenberg.
1912 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 23 1 (heading) The relative legibility of different faces of printing types.
1966 H. Williamson Methods Bk. Design (ed. 2) viii. 99 The original Scotch faces were a vaguely defined class, and generalization about their letter-forms is impossible.
1992 Step-by-Step 8 i. 111/3 Other faces such as Bodoni, Cheltenham and Garamond..began to eclipse the popularity of the earlier sans serif style.
22. Mining.
a. The end of a tunnel at which work is progressing; an exposed surface at which mining is carried out. Cf. coalface n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > workplace > places where raw materials are extracted > mine > [noun] > working face or place
witchet1677
face1708
front1717
stope1747
wall1750
web1767
working place1827
wall-face1839
offset1872
wicket1881
upset1883
1708 J. C. Compl. Collier 18 in T. Nourse Mistery of Husbandry Discover'd (ed. 3) They frequently hole, or cut through from one Board to another, to carry their Air..to the end or Face of their Boards.
1771 J. Williams Jrnl. 28 May in B. Franklin Papers (1974) XVIII. 115 The last thousand yards to the first coal face were subterranean.
1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 58 A set of colliers, called holers, who begin in the right and hole or undermine all the bank or face of the coal.
1867 W. W. Smyth Treat. Coal & Coal-mining 131 Supporting the roof at the immediate ‘face’ by temporary props.
1888 F. Hume Madame Midas i. v. 42 They..visited several other faces of wash... Each face had a man working at it, sometimes two.
1901 B. T. Washington Up from Slavery ii. 38 It was fully a mile from the opening of the coal-mine to the face of the coal.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 87/1 Benk, the place underground where coal is being broken from the face of the coal seam.
1973 B. Broadfoot Ten Lost Years x. 216 I've been here ever since, working on the face.
2000 High Country News 31 July 10/3 Longwalls remove much more coal with much less labor by running a mining machine back and forth along a long face of coal.
b. A more or less vertical joint in ore-bearing rock at right angles to the stratification, where the rock may be readily cleaved (= cleat n. 5); the plane or direction of such a joint. on the face: against or at right angles to this plane. face on: parallel to this plane.
ΚΠ
1867 W. W. Smyth Treat. Coal & Coal-mining 25 Faces, running most regularly parallel.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 238 The direction along which these joints run is often known as the face of the coal.
1881 Trans. Amer. Inst. Mining Engineers 1880–1 9 131 The face of coal is the principal cleavage-plane at right angles to the stratification. Driving on the face is driving against or at right angles with the face.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 99 Face on..working a mine parallel to the cleat or face.
1941 R. Peele & J. A. Church Mining Engin. Handbk. I. (ed. 3) x. 477 In driving face-on, the face of the room is parallel to the face cleats.
23. Ordnance and Firearms. The metal surface of the muzzle of a gun.
ΚΠ
1727 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. II Face of a Gun is the Superficies of the Metal at the Extremity of the Muzzle.
1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Face of a gun, the surface of the metal at the extremity of the muzzle.
1918 H. C. Ramsey Elem. Naval Ordnance & Gunnery xvi. 178 Ship the muzzle disk in the muzzle of the gun... See that the lip on its circumference touches the face of the muzzle all around.
2007 Amer. Gunsmith (Nexis) 1 June 10 This recesses the bore slightly for further protection of the critical transition point between the bore and the face of the muzzle.
24. Military. Any one of the sides of a formation of troops when drawn up, esp. in a square. Now chiefly historical.
ΚΠ
1757 J. Muller Syst. Camp-discipline (ed. 2) 34 The whole Square makes ready, and fires by Faces, the commanding Officer of each Battalion or Face, giving the Word of Command.
1759 Hist. Europe in Ann. Reg. 40/2 The left of the English..was formed..in a manner which the military men call Potence, that is, in a body which presents two faces to the enemy.
1853 J. H. Stocqueler Mil. Encycl. 101 The faces of a square are the different sides of a battalion, &c., which, when formed into a square, are all denominated faces; viz., the front face, the right face, the left face, and the rear face.
1885 Times (Weekly ed.) 23 Jan. 3/1 This face had not quite closed up before it was attacked.
1993 D. F. Featherstone Khartoum 1885 60 The front face of the square was formed of the Guards Camel Regiment and the Mounted Infantry Camel Regiment.
25. Engineering. The flat part of a valve or valve seat; the corresponding flat part of a cylinder on which a slide valve travels, typically in a steam engine or a reciprocating combustion engine. Cf. valve face n. at valve n.1 Compounds 1a(a).
ΚΠ
1838 N. Wood Pract. Treat. Railroads 346 The slide would be moved to the extremity of the face of the cylinder.
1859 Jrnl. Soc. Arts 22 Apr. 353/1 The water..accumulates in the chamber when the ball rises, the area of the chamber being superior to the valve face.
1919 L. H. Morrison Oil Engines viii. 121 A mixture of emery flour and oil or emery flour and vaseline should be coated over the valve face and the valve rotated back and forth.
1950 A. W. Judge Motor Vehicle Engine Servicing iv. 55 The valve face..can readily be restored to its original condition by grinding with an abrasive paste on to its seating.
2004 Tribology Internat. 37 572/2 With leaded fuel, complex lead oxides would form on the valve face and seat.
26. Bookbinding. The front or outer vertical edge of the pages of a book; = fore-edge n. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > book > parts of book > [noun] > fore-edge
face1876
fore-edge1880
circuit edge1905
1876 Encycl. Brit. IV. 43/1 After the face [of a book] has been ploughed the back springs back into its rounded form.
2007 Amer. Printer (Nexis) 1 Sept. 34 Due to the five double gates, we could not..bind the book... The width of the outer edge, or face, of the book..was substantively thicker than the spine.
ΚΠ
1886 Chambers's Encycl. IX. 323 Prussian blue..native indigo and gypsum are the real materials employed for giving the ‘face’ as it is called.
Phrases
P1. With reference to the physical face (sense 1), and extended uses.
a. face to (earlier †and, †for) face: so as to be looking one another in the face. face to face with: looking in the face of, confronting (literal and figurative). to see face to (also †with) face: to see without interference, to see directly or clearly. Cf. face-to-face adj. and vis-à-vis n., prep., and adv. [After post-classical Latin facie ad faciem (Vulgate); compare Hellenistic Greek πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον (Septuagint), Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French face a face (1174–6; French face à face; after Latin).]
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > presence > be present at [verb (transitive)] > be in the presence of
to stand before ——OE
to see face to (also with) face1340
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > opposite [phrase] > face to face
neb to neblOE
face to (earlier and, for) face1535
front to fronta1585
on (also upon) the square?1611
nose to nose1732
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > opposite [phrase] > opposite each other
face to (earlier and, for) face1849
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 88 (MED) We him ssolle yzy face to face [L. facie ad faciem (1 Cor. 13:12)] clyerlyche.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 23607 Þair ioi, þair gladdscip, qua can tell..Face wit face þat godd to se.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 357 Make þe to se þe same gode & þi-selfe wakand Face to face all his fourme.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 255 The proud Pechtis..face for face stude in thair fais sicht.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 2 Of these matters..we shall talke shortly face to face [L. coram].
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. x. 490 Sir Walter Aston..spoke seriously face to face with him there-anent.
1703 N. Rowe Fair Penitent i. i. 129 Ere long I mean to meet 'em Face to Face And gaul 'em with my Triumph.
1767 T. Gray Let. 5 Nov. (1971) III. 979 I am come..to congratulate you face to face on your good luck.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 600 The two armies were now face to face.
1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia I. viii. 180 He found himself face to face with the root questions of all thought.
1861 T. A. Trollope La Beata I. vii. 155 The painter and the customer might never come face to face after all.
1875 H. E. Manning Internal Mission of Holy Ghost ix. 260 We shall see God face to face.
1943 J. D. Carr Emperor's Snuff-Box (1953) i. 6 The two [divorcing] parties must meet—face to face..—as a last effort to see whether their differences may not be adjusted.
1997 Guardian 25 Jan. (Weekend Suppl.) 44/3 Coming face to face with an angry mongoose.
b. to show one's face (formerly also †to show face): to make an appearance, esp. in public; to allow oneself to be seen (literally or figuratively). to hide one's face: see hide v.1 1c.
ΚΠ
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) lxxix. 4 (MED) Conuerte vs, and shewe þi face [L. ostende faciem tuam], and we shul ben sauf.
c1475 in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1900) 104 309 The matiers to fulfille forth must procede, Suffre augmentacioun to shewe hir face By addiciouns.
1561 T. Norton & T. Sackville Gorboduc i. i Aurore..for love or shame Doth long delay to show her blushing face.
?1562 Thersytes sig. B.iii Appere syr I praye you, dare ye not shewe your face.
1648 J. Beaumont Psyche vi. cxl. 85 No Weed presum'd to show its roytish face In this Inclosure.
1706 W. King Tripe Club 5 Where Exil'd Witt, ne'er shews its hated Face.
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa II. xxxv. 237 I should be asham'd to shew my face in public.
1882 R. L. Stevenson New Arabian Nights II. 27 He never so much as showed face at a window.
1943 D. Whipple They were Sisters xvii. 197 I don't think he'll show his face in Trenton again.
2002 POW Mag. Mar. 10/3 I was getting tired and feeling gypped that Triple H still had not shown his face.
c. to look (a person, etc.) in the face: to meet (someone) with a steady gaze that implies courage, confidence, or (sometimes) defiance; to confront (literal and figurative).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > stare or gaze at > in the face
to look (a person, etc.) in the facec1400
to stare (a person) in the face1510
to fix (a person) with one's eyes1792
envisage1820
fasten1870
impale1877
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)] > confront
abidec1275
stand?1316
visagec1386
bidec1400
to stand to ——1562
affront1569
to look (a person, etc.) in the face1573
outface1574
front1582
to meet with1585
confront1594
propose1594
to stand up to1596
outfront1631
to stand forth to1631
head1682
meet1725
the mind > emotion > courage > moral courage > one who braves danger > defy danger (person or thing) [verb] > meet with a steady gaze
to look (a person, etc.) in the face1573
face1795
c1400 ( Canticum Creatione , in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 378 [Eue] wax ashamed,..Þat she dorste neuere after þat tym Loken Adam in þe face.
1573 G. Gascoigne & F. Kinwelmersh Iocasta ii. ii, in G. Gascoigne Hundreth Sundrie Flowres sig. Pii Boldly to looke our foemen in the face.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 163 That shame and dismaiednesse which maketh us that we dare not looke a man in the face.
a1662 P. Heylyn Cyprianus Angl. (1719) ii. v. 20 I dare look Death in the Face, and I hope the People too.
1780 W. Cowper Table Talk 321 When Tumult..dared to look his master in the face.
1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend ii. 82 He..looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iii. 128 Too clear to be misunderstood by any one who looks the evidence on the matter fairly in the face.
1918 W. J. Locke Rough Road xx. 245 J. M. T. and I have looked Death in the face many a time—and really he's a poor..sort of Bogey.
2004 T. C. Boyle Inner Circle ii. i. 247 She looked him right in the face, gave him her brightest..smile.
d.
(a) to have (also †wear) two faces and variants: (originally) to be guilty of duplicity, or (of speech, etc.) to be ambiguous; (now also) to have two aspects or characters (without implication of duplicity). Formerly also (in same sense) †to have two faces in a hood, †to bear (also carry) two faces under one hood. Cf. two-faced adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > evasive deception, shiftiness > act evasively [verb (intransitive)] > practise double-dealing
double1530
to play on (also with) both hands1530
to run with hare and hounds1573
to have (also wear) two faces1889
c1460 in R. Brotanek Mittelengl. Dichtungen MS 432 Trin. Coll. Dublin (1940) 128 (MED) Two fases in a hode is neuer to tryst.
1555 J. Heywood Two Hundred Epigrammes with Thyrde sig. B.ii Thou beryst two faces in one whood.
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 289 Icetes had caried two faces in one hoode, and..was become a traytor.
1606 T. Dekker Seuen Deadly Sinnes London ii. sig. C3v Frawd (with two faces) is his Daughter.
1732 Compl. Coll. Rep., Lyes, & Stories ii. 53 A Protestant Mask under two Faces.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xl. 166 You are a specious fellow..and carry two faces under your hood.
1862 Q. Rev. Apr. 442 The whole system of the Church of England..has, like all Truth, two faces: one silver, the other gold.
1889 J. M. Barrie Window in Thrums xx. 196 Persons whose speech had two faces.
1973 Sci. Amer. Sept. 123/3 Psychiatry..has two faces, one represented by treatment at the psychosocial level and the other by treatment at the pharmacologic level.
2001 D. J. Whittaker Terrorism Reader (2002) xii. 166 Colombia..is often described as having two faces—the ‘formal’ Columbia,..and the ‘informal’ Colombia, a ‘real’ and very different polity.
(b) In common or regional names of plants: † face and hood n. = three (also †two) faces under (or in) a (or †one) hood n. (obsolete rare). face-in-hood n. monkshood, Aconitum napellus. three (also †two) faces under (or in) a (or †one) hood n. the plant heartsease (wild pansy), Viola tricolor.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > pea flowers > violet and allied flowers > allied flowers
pansyc1450
heartsease1530
pansy flower1530
three (also two) faces under (or in) a (or one) hood1548
bulbous violet1578
love-in-idleness1578
sweet violet1578
pensea1592
cull-me-to-you1597
dog's tooth violet1597
dog violet1597
kiss-me-ere-I-rise1597
live in idleness1597
wild violet1597
yellow violet1597
love-and-idle1630
love-in-idle1664
trinity1699
fancy1712
wood violet1713
marsh violet1753
tree violet1753
kiss-me-at-the-gate1787
bird's-foot violet1802
Parma violet1812
Johnny-jump-up1827
stepmother1828
Neapolitan violet1830
garden gate1842
butterfly pea1848
kissa1852
pinkany-John1854
viola1871
kiss-me1877
pink-eyed John1877
face and hood1886
roosterhead1894
trout-lily1909
the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > [noun] > aconite or wolf's bane
monk's cowl1548
wolf's-bane1548
flint-wort1567
libardine1567
aconite1569
wolf's-wort1575
napellus1576
monkshood1578
napelo1580
helmet-flower1597
scorpion1601
napell1605
wolfwort1611
monk's-head1682
panther's bane1712
blue rocketa1825
bikh1830
friar's cap1830
fox-bane1840
Turk's cap1854
Adam and Eve1879
face-in-hood1886
1548 W. Turner Names of Herbes sig. Hv Trinitatis herba..is called in english two faces in a hoode or panses.
1562 W. Bullein Bk. Simples f. 41, in Bulwarke of Defence Paunsis, or three faces in one hodde.
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 705 Harts ease, Pansies, Liue in Idlenes, Cull me to you, and three faces in a hood.
1664 S. Blake Compl. Gardeners Pract. 50 Lowe in idle, or two faces under a hood, is a Flower that is much like Violets.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Hearts-ease..an Herb called..Three Faces in a Hood..or Pansies.
1718 Culpeper's Eng. Physician Enlarged 159 Hearts-ease... It is also called by those that are more moderate, Three Faces in a Hood,..and in Sussex we call them Pansies.
1767 W. Harte Amaranth 69 Heart's-ease, viola tricolor; called also by our old Poets Love in idleness;..Three faces under a hood, [etc.].
1788 Midsummer Night's Dream in Bell's Ed. of Shakespeare VI. 43 It is called in other countries the Three coloured violet, the Herb of Trinity, Three faces in a hood, Cuddle me to you, &c.
1886 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names 172 Face and Hood, Viola tricolor... Face-in-hood, Aconitum napellus.
1912 W. Canton Invisible Playmate 73 ‘Three faces in a hood.’ Folk called the pansy so Three hundred years ago.
1916 L. B. Holland Garden Bluebk. 29 Aconitum Napellus... English Names: Aconite, Monk's hood,..Face in hood.
1991 Garden (Royal Hort. Soc.) Apr. 216/1 There are pigsqueaks, melancholy gentleman and three-faces-under-a-hood, as well as the more familiar ones.
e. from face to foot: from head to foot, all over (literal and figurative).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > part of body > [adverb] > every part or all over
(from) head to foot (also feet)eOE
ich a limbc1275
life and limbc1275
limb and headc1275
limb and landc1275
limb and lithc1275
from face to foot1567
limb and bone1599
limb and wind1697
limb and carcass1841
1567 G. Turberville Epitaphes, Epigrams 2 From face to foote, from top to toe Shee let no whit vntoucht to goe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) ii. ii. 108 From face to foot: He was a thing of Blood. View more context for this quotation
1829 S. Cooper Good's Study Med. (ed. 3) V. vi. 624 The disease..[sc. ring-worm] migrates over the entire surface [of the body] from face to foot.
1953 J. F. Byrne Silent Years xvii. 211 I was stung—stung everywhere, from face to foot.
2001 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 2 Dec. 1 b5 Her body covered from face to foot by blue cotton.
f. †to know no faces: to recognize no one, to make no distinction between persons. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > misjudgement > indiscriminateness > fail to discriminate [verb (intransitive)]
to know no faces1569
misdistinguish1593
to lump (something) into or(in) with1796
scattergun1968
1569 S. Batman Christall Glasse Christian Reform. sig. P.iiv See that you know no faces in iudgement but heare the small as wel as the great.
1635 Earl of Manchester Al Mondo: Contemplatio Mortis (rev. ed.) 24 Disease and Death know no faces.
1704 R. Allen Biogr. Eccl. I. 33 So impartial were they [sc. the men of the Council], that they heard Causes in the dark, that they might know no Faces in Judgment.
g.
(a) to throw (thrust, fling, (etc.)) (something) in a person's face: to throw, thrust, or force (something) at a person (literally or figuratively), esp. as an expression of disdain.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impelling or driving > impel or drive [verb (transitive)] > so as to hit something > in a person's face
to throw (thrust, fling, (etc.)) (something) in a person's face1597
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > reproach > [verb (transitive)] > reproach with
upbraida1250
undernimc1320
to lay to one's credit, reproachc1515
to cast (a thing) in one's teeth1526
to twit (a person) in the teeth1530
to hit (one) in the teeth with1535
to cast (also lay, throw) (something) in one's dish1551
to fling (anything) in one's teeth1587
to throw (thrust, fling, (etc.)) (something) in a person's face1597
to tit (a person) in the teeth1622
nose1625
exprobrate1630
puta1663
the mind > language > statement > refusal > [verb (transitive)] > decline to receive or accept > angrily
to tell the world1555
to throw (thrust, fling, (etc.)) (something) in a person's face1597
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II i. i. 194 My teeth shall teare The slauish motiue..And spit it..euen in Mowbraies face. View more context for this quotation
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 574 Who cals me villaine, breakes my pate a crosse, Pluckes off my beard, and blowes it in my face. View more context for this quotation
1655 J. Howell 4th Vol. Familiar Lett. xxi. 58 Who taints his soul may be said to throw dirt in Gods face.
1760 T. Gray Let. 20 June in Corr. (1971) II. 681 You see him [sc. Sterne]..ready to throw his perriwig in the face of his audience.
1856 E. B. Browning Aurora Leigh ii. 77 God..thrusts the thing we have prayed for in our face.
1884 M. E. Braddon Ishmael xxxi His success was cast in his face as a reproach.
1992 L. Auchincloss False Gods 11 Drayton stalked around the table to fling the contents of his glass in the Virginian's face.
(b) to throw something back in a person's face and variants: to reject brusquely or ungraciously something which a person has given or offered.
ΚΠ
1711 Vindic. Sacheverell 18 What Sir can we now say against Mr. Biffet, but what he and his Accomplices may throw back in our Face?
1821 London Mag. June 595/1 We load his Lordship with ecstatic admiration, with unqualified ostentatious eulogies; and he throws them stifling back in our face.
1856 Times 19 Jan. 6 Russia also accepted..the four guarantees proposed by the Powers, and then flung them back in our faces at the Conferences of Vienna.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. v. 105 I was not obliged to fling his offerings back in his face.
1932 P. Bentley Inheritance iv. iii. 410 Here we condescend to meet the men unofficially and offer them these good terms, and they throw it back in our faces.
2001 Constr. News 20 Sept. 76/3 We had..raised a respectable sum but Lovely threw the offer back in our face.
h. Military. In commands and instructions: face(s) to (also on) the right (or left), face(s) about, etc.: right, left, or about face; face the direction specified (cf. face v. 13a). Hence to turn face about (also †to turn face again): to turn so as to face the opposite way. Now chiefly figurative and in extended use. Cf. about-face adv.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > orders > order [interjection] > face specific direction
face(s) to (also on) the right (or left)1613
right about face!1793
about-face1804
about-turn1893
1613 F. Beaumont Knight of Burning Pestle v. sig. K Gentlemen, soft and faire: double your files, as you were, faces about.
1625 G. Markham Souldiers Accidence 20 Faces to the right hand. Faces to the left. Faces about, or Faces to Reare.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 77 He turned face againe with sword in hand.
1717 W. Breton Militia Discipline (ed. 2) 49 Halt. Face on the right.
1881 G. W. Cable Mme. Delphine viii. 45 It had..turned him face about from the way of destruction.
1908 H. Belloc Eye-witness 224 They still kept formation with that magnificent German tenacity which..is their pride, but they had turned face about.
1946 R. H. Lowie tr. C. Nimuendajú Eastern Timbira iv. 226 They would brandish the cobs at each other, turn face about, run in the reverse direction until they met again.
1997 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 31 May 1 Mabo was the moment when the courts turned face-about... The law changed sides.
i. In adverbial phrases, as face down (also forward, uppermost, etc.): with the face in the direction indicated. (to fall) face on: (to fall) face downwards (rare). See also face up adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > inversion > inverted [phrase]
upside downc1340
topset downe1569
up and down1591
upside downwards1611
topside down1725
(to fall) face on1856
1760 G. A. Stevens Hist. Tom Fool I. 54 Mr. Yeast over-reaching himself, fell down, Face fore-most.
1807 R. Southey Lett. from Eng. II. 63 Many of the smaller boats had only a single person in each; and in some of these he sat face-forward.
1818 J. Paddock Narr. Shipwreck Oswego ii. 23 We laid him on the rocks, face down.
1830 W. G. T. Power Lost Heir 7 He raised, and turned him over, face uppermost.
1856 Leisure Hour 5 332/1 He fell face on into the water.
1881 Ohio Pract. Farmer 16 July 43/4 He fell face first to the sand.
1938 R. Graves Coll. Poems 152 Leaping face-forward from their high roofs.
2001 Jrnl. Asian Martial Arts 10 No. 1. 34 As he lands on the floor, he uses his arms to support his body and lies face downwards.
j. black in the face: see black adj. and n. Phrases 3; blue in the face: see blue adj. and n. Phrases 4.
k. slang (originally U.S.).
(a) to shut (also close) one's face: to shut one's mouth, keep quiet. Frequently as imperative, as shut your face!: ‘shut your mouth!’, ‘shut up!’ Also to button (up) one's face: see button v. Phrases 2.
ΚΠ
1834 W. A. Caruthers Kentuckian in N.Y. I. 99 They shut up their faces like steel traps.]
1863 C. Reade Hard Cash II. xi. 140 Now this offer was no sooner made than Mr. Hardie shut his face, and went to mental arithmetic.
1893 S. Crane Maggie ix. 77 Shet yer face, an' come home, yer damned old fool.
1894 G. Ade Stories of Streets & Town 1st Ser. 120/2 He handed ‘Bumpers’ another dollar and said: ‘Keep your face closed.’
1913 D. H. Lawrence Love Poems 53 An' stop thy scraightin', childt. Do shut thy face.
1914 E. C. Garrett Dyak Chief & Other Verses 48 Close y' face and let me tell About the Dobie Itch.
1939 Best Short Stories 45 ‘Shut your daft grinning face,’ growled Arthur.
1972 G. Friel Mr Alfred M. A. xvi. 97 ‘Where have you been all this time?’ she shouted. ‘You've had me worried stiff!’‘Ach, shut your face, you old nag,’ said Gerald.
1979 R. Sapir & W. Murphy Destroyer 30 x. 138 ‘Close your face before I close it for you,’ Remo said. Tyrone did and slumped in the far corner of the cab's left rear seat.
2004 G. Woodward I'll go to Bed at Noon ii. 47 ‘Shut your face,’ Janus suddenly snapped,..‘Bill's coming to the pub with me’.
(b) to open one's face: to open one's mouth, to speak.
ΚΠ
1850 J. G. Saxe Poems xxv. 36 A young attorney of winning grace, Was scarce allowed to ‘open his face’.
1896 G. Ade Artie iii. 26 If you open your face to this lady again tonight, I'll separate you from your breath.
1968 J. Dos Passos Best Times ii. 69 I plodded around..trying to explain my position and getting myself deeper in Dutch every time I opened my face.
2002 G. Rule Semper Fi? (rev. ed.) v. 84 Don't open your face to me or I'll deck you.
l. colloquial. to take that look (also smile, grin, etc.) off a person's face and variants: to cause or urge someone to refrain from a facial expression, manner, or attitude, esp. one considered annoying, inappropriate, or self-congratulatory. Usually in imperative, as a command, as take that look (also smile, grin, etc.) off your face. See also to wipe (an expression, esp. a smile) off a person's or one's face at wipe v. 6h.
ΚΠ
1842 Godey's Lady's Bk. Apr. 224/1 Jempson, you simpleton, take that frown off your face, and try to get up something that may pass for a smile.
1881 M. W. Hungerford Faith & Unfaith II. viii. 177 Take that look off your face. If you go in for society with that cut-up expression in your eyes, people will talk!
1940 Monessen (Pa.) Daily Independent 25 Oct. He hoped to take that look off her face.
1950 N.Y. Times 27 Oct. 24/3 Goaded by the caustic smile she gives him, he threatens to ‘knock that smile off your face.’
1983 J. Kesson Another Time, Another Place 23 The threat implied in Kirsty's voice took the grin off Beel's face, reminding him of more serious matters.
2011 Irish Times (Nexis) 19 Nov. (Mag.) 8 I try not to let Sorcha see what I'm thinking. Except she does, of course... You can take that look off your face, she goes.
m. slang.
(a) to break a person's face: to assault a person and cause (esp. facial) injury; to beat a person up.
ΚΠ
1851 F. Walpole Ansayrii II. x. 205 I should perhaps shoot him, or break his face.
1893 A. MacDonald Criminol. 182 I swore at the mate, and told him I would break his face..if I caught him on land.
1926 J. M. March Wild Party (1928) i. i. 10 Adding in language without much lace They'd like to break his god-damned face.
1995 M. Amis Information (1996) 440 All her brothers were out there, waiting to break your face.
2002 R. Mistry Family Matters (2003) xviii. 386 I'll break your faces if you act smart with me!
(b) to rearrange (also change) a person's face: to assault and injure a person, esp. so as to cause disfigurement.
ΚΠ
1896 G. Ade Artie vi. 51 If you come into the same part o' town with me I'll change your face.
1920 G. C. Shedd Iron Furrow iii. 31 Record this deed, you forty-dollar-a-month penpusher, before I grow peevish and rearrange your face.
1949 I. Shulman Cry Tough! i. 28 Mitch looked around for the knife... 'I'd like a change. A chance to change your face'.
1986 P. Conroy Prince of Tides xvii. 321 You'd beat me up if we had a fight. Then Luke would come hunting for you and rearrange your face anyway.
2001 D. King Burglar Diaries xvi. 120 Basically, this geezer rearranges Terry′s face and frog-marches him down to the nick.
n. colloquial. to feed (also stuff, fill) one's face and variants: to eat, esp. greedily.
ΚΠ
1887 Argonaut 25 June 6/3 He turned into a restaurant. ‘Axcuse me, will yer? I'm goin in here to feed me face.’
1914 G. W. Morrison Girls of Central High at Basketball xviii. 144 You can stuff your face with all those goodies while we ride into town.
1932 P. Hamilton Siege of Pleasure i. 36 She naturally felt that it was rather inconsiderate to go on calmly filling her face.
1973 A. Hess Munchies Eatbook i. 5 The Munchies..always manifest themselves in an uncontrollable desire to fill one's face.
1988 L. Ellmann Sweet Desserts 53 I couldn't bear to be seen stuffing my fat face.
2005 Columbus (Georgia) Ledger-Enquirer (Nexis) 25 Dec. I'm going to go home and eat, feed my face. My mom cooks really well.
o. British. one's face fits and variants: one is acceptable or suited to a particular group, social context, etc.; one possesses or is judged to possess the necessary attributes or qualities. Frequently in negative contexts.
ΚΠ
1963 T. Morris & P. Morris Pentonville iv. 91 There are plenty of cases where a man's face doesn't fit.
1977 Economist 13 Aug. 92/1 Anglo-American..underestimated the depth of Afrikaner distrust... Iscor wanted to accept, but was overruled by the government. The financial community..thinks the real reason is that Anglo's face does not fit.
1987 Bicycle Action Aug. 50/1 Some people say you get on a team if your face fits.
1991 G. Butler Coffin Underground 152 Perhaps your face had to fit to get the kindness, you had to belong.
1999 Independent 2 Jan. (Mag.) 16/2 [He] is another of the many shown the door because his face didn't fit.
p. to laugh on the other side of one's face: see laugh v. Phrases 1g(c).
q. to have egg on one's face: see egg n. 4a.
P2. With reference to facial expression (cf. sense 2a).
to make (also pull) a face: to distort the features in a grimace (sometimes with modifying word).
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > face with expression or expression > face with expression [verb (intransitive)] > distort
fleer?a1400
mowc1450
snowrec1450
to make (also pull) a facec1522
to throw one's facea1525
pot1549
mop1567
murgeonc1586
to cut facesa1616
wrimple1657
work1753
grimace1762
mowl1837
wrinkle1843
mug1856
girn1900
c1522 T. More Treat. Memorare Nouissima in Wks. (1557) I. 72/2 This medicyne thoughe thou make a sowre face at it, is not so bytter.
1570 T. North tr. A. F. Doni Moral Philos. (1888) III. 184 The poore Birde when he saw hir make that face to him was halfe afraide.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iii. iv. 65 Why do you make such faces? View more context for this quotation
1713 R. Steele Englishman No. 7. 47 He will..make Faces at the Burgundian Grape.
1786 R. Heber Let. 27 Feb. in Heber Lett. (1950) i. 33 This unexpected return of hard weather makes us farmers who are short of hay..pull very long faces.
1841 T. Hood Tale of Trumpet ii, in New Monthly Mag. June 274 Just suppose..You see a great fellow a-pulling a face.
1877 ‘Mrs. Forrester’ Mignon I. 162 Don't pull sucht a long face.
1890 G. M. Fenn Double Knot I. i. 71 Making what children call ‘a face’, by screwing up her mouth and nose.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. 124 He made a comic face and whined, rubbing his knee.
c1936 D. Thomas Coll. Lett. (1987) 241 I'd sell my toes to see you now my dear..and make a funny face at you.
1980 O. Clark Diary 11 Aug. (1998) 105 Jerry..pulled a face and later said, ‘Every time I see her she slaps another writ or sues me.’
2007 Wired May 65/3 ‘What do you think’? she asks. ‘Owah’! I say, and make a face.
P3. With reference to beauty (cf. sense 2b).
a. †full of face: (of uncertain meaning) (perhaps) beautiful. Obsolete. N.E.D. (1894) adds: ‘But perhaps the meaning is = "full faced, florid".’ F. D. Hoeniger ( Arden Shakespeare, 1963) suggests ‘with a healthily round face’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > [adjective] > specifically of persons > of face
goodOE
fair-faced1553
bright-faceda1560
full of face1609
beautiful-faced1688
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles i. 23 A female heyre, So bucksome, blith, and full of face . View more context for this quotation
b. a face like a ——: a face having an appearance reminiscent of the thing specified. Usually depreciative.
ΚΠ
a1626 W. Rowley Birth of Merlin (1662) sig. E2 You now bring me to a Ragamuffin with a face like a Frying-pan.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 52. ⁋3 She has not a Face like a John-Apple.
1824 S. E. Ferrier Inheritance III. iii. 16 Pretty!—what makes her pretty?—wi' a face like a sooket carvy!
1895 ‘I. Maclaren’ Beside Bonnie Brier Bush vii. i. 233 Confoond ye, Hillocks, what are ye ploiterin' aboot here for in the weet wi' a face like a boiled beet?
1916 N. Munro in B. D. Osborne & R. Armstrong Erchie & Jimmy Swan (1993) i. lii. 221 Duffy the coalman came up to Erchie on Saturday with a face like a fiddle.
1988 L. Erdrich Tracks (1989) iii. 47 She was thin on the top and plump as a turnip below, with a face like a round molasses cake.
1998 H. Strachan Way Up Way Out iii. 41 Yer got a face like a pig's arse, he said.
c. †to be in face: to be looking one's best (cf. to be in voice at voice n. Phrases 7a). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > have pleasing appearance [verb (intransitive)] > specifically of persons > look well or one's best
to be in face1773
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer i. 8 Is it one of my well looking days, child? Am I in face to day?
P4. With reference to sight or presence (cf. sense 2c).
a. before (a person's) face: before (a person's) eyes, in front of (a person). before the face of: before the eyes of, in the sight of (now rare).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > [adverb] > before one's sight
in one's sightc1275
before (a person's) facec1380
before the face of1574
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 192 Þe man y trist an most for-sakeþ me at my nede, & draȝþ ys swerd bi-fore my fas.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 10460 Bot i him saw bifore mi face?
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 845 (MED) Þai had grace And loue before þe bischope face.
1574 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Job (new ed.) i. iii. 16 Let vs cast downe our selues before the face of our good God, with acknowledgement of our sinnes.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. viii. 370 The Prince..causing euery one of them to recite the praise of Mahomet before his face.
1656 B. Harris in tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age Contin. 284 Arras..was taken..before the face of thirty thousand men.
1721 T. D'Urfey Two Queens Brentford ii. i Bring me the Caitiff here before my Face.
1796 W. Woodfall Impartial Rep. Deb. Parl. III. 324 His dog might be seized with impunity, and hanged before his face.
1843 A. Sedgwick Let. in J. W. Clark & T. M. Hughes Life & Lett. A. Sedgwick (1890) II. 63 Never having once fallen during my retrogradations before the face of the Queen.
1862 F. D. Maurice Mod. Philos. 604 Bentham brought these contradictions before the face of those who were committing them.
1980 M. Z. Bradley Two to Conquer i. 123 He would cut off..[his] cuyones and roast them before his face!
b. to fear (flee from, etc.) the face of: to fear (flee from, etc.) the sight or presence of. Now archaic.
ΚΠ
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 953 Ȝee sal be flemed fra mi face.
1508 J. Fisher Treat. Penyt. Psalmes sig. tt.iii To thentent he myght Iudasly flee from the face of our lord god.
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. xxxv. 1 Thou fleddest from the face of Esau. View more context for this quotation
1662 K. Evans & S. Chevers Short Relation Cruel Sufferings 21 I told her..how I did not fear the face of any man.
1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 768 Judah's promised king..Driven out an exile from the face of Saul.
1861 E. Atherstone Israel in Egypt xxvii. 465 Let us flee from the face of Israel.
1909 J. Payne Flower o' Thorn 39 The demons of darkness all have fled from the face of the sovereign sun.
2002 R. Fulton From Judgment to Passion iv. 235 Nor does he find himself lost, in darkness, unable to flee from the face of the Judge.
c. to a person's face: openly, in a person's sight, hearing, or presence (implying frankness, effrontery, or a lack of decorum).
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > [adverb]
barelyc950
beforeOE
openlyOE
nakedly?c1225
in a person's bearda1250
opelyc1275
apertly1297
commonlya1325
opena1325
overtlyc1325
pertlya1375
plainc1380
in (also on) opena1382
in apertc1384
plainlyc1390
in open (also general) audiencea1393
aperta1400
in commonaltya1400
outa1400
without laina1400
in commonc1400
publishlyc1400
pertc1410
in publicc1429
on higha1450
in pert1453
to a person's facea1470
into heightc1480
forthward?1504
but hidel?1507
publicly1534
uncolouredly1561
roundly1563
famously1570
vulgarly1602
above board1603
round1604
displayedly1611
on (also upon) the square?1611
undisguisedly1611
broadly1624
discoveredly1659
unveiledly1661
under a person's nose1670
manifestly1711
before faces1762
publically1797
overboard1834
unashamedly1905
upfront1972
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 447 Many spekyth behynde a man more than he woll seye to his face.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique iii. f. 98v You..gaue hym a frumpe, euen to his face.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) i. ii. 91 Wilt thou flout me thus vnto my face? View more context for this quotation
1638 R. Baker tr. J. L. G. de Balzac New Epist. II. 231 I will not tell you to your face, that you are the Chrysostome of our Church.
1781 W. Cowper Expostulation 283 Thy very children..curse thee to thy face.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 638 Sharp..read to their faces the whole service as it stood in the book.
1861 H. A. Jacobs Incidents Life Slave Girl xvi. 132 He had said things to my face which might..have surprised his neighbor if he had known of them.
1918 R. Aldington Let. 9 July in R. Aldington & H. D. Lives in Lett. (2003) 88 They say Madame de Staël was the only person who ever dared to tell the Emperor Napoleon to his face that he was a tyrant.
1991 ‘C. Fremlin’ Dangerous Thoughts xi. 82 He tells the most outrageous..lies, accusing me to my face of having chickened-out on the trip.
d. in the face of: in the sight or hearing of, in the presence of. Also figurative. in the face of the sun, in the face of day, etc.: openly. Now archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > presence > present [phrase] > in or into a person's presence
in (also into, intil, to) present?c1225
in one's (or the) visage1430
under a person's nosea1450
in the face of1482
in the wing of1579
before one's nosec1604
to one's nosea1616
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > [adverb] > clearly visible > in full view
in view?c1475
in the face of1482
on view1800
to the fore1842
1482 in J. H. Ramsay Bamff Charters (1915) 31 The quhilk mariagh salbe..endit in the faise of haly kyrk.
1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) ii. v. sig. biii/2 Thei [sc. angels]..ben stable in the face of god.
1540 Act 32 Hen. VIII c. 38 §2 Mariages..contracte and solemnised in the face of the church.
1572 J. Sadler tr. Vegetius Foure Bks. Martiall Policye iii. xiv. f. 39v Let the rankes be so set in araie..that they maye be full in the face of our enemies.
a1618 W. Bradshaw in C. H. Spurgeon Treasury of David (1874) IV. Ps. xc. 8 Sins..committed in deepest darkness are all one to him as if they were done in the face of the sun.
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 248 Even the most carelesse boyes will be affraid to offend in the face of the monitor.
1769 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. 283 If the contempt be committed in the face of the court, the offender may be instantly apprehended and imprisoned.
1773 F. Burney Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1988) I. 277 She does this in the fair face of Day.
1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 79 You will forfeit, in the face of all men, the character of faithful ministers of God.
1858 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. (1873) II. viii. 509 They broke open private houses..in the face of day.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 157 You proclaim in the face of Hellas that you are a Sophist.
1995 Daily Tel. 8 Nov. 24/1 Dearly estranged, we are gathered here today..in the face of this congregation, to sunder this Man from this Woman in Divorce.
e. †before faces: in public, in company. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > manifestation > manifestness > openness or unconcealedness > [adverb]
barelyc950
beforeOE
openlyOE
nakedly?c1225
in a person's bearda1250
opelyc1275
apertly1297
commonlya1325
opena1325
overtlyc1325
pertlya1375
plainc1380
in (also on) opena1382
in apertc1384
plainlyc1390
in open (also general) audiencea1393
aperta1400
in commonaltya1400
outa1400
without laina1400
in commonc1400
publishlyc1400
pertc1410
in publicc1429
on higha1450
in pert1453
to a person's facea1470
into heightc1480
forthward?1504
but hidel?1507
publicly1534
uncolouredly1561
roundly1563
famously1570
vulgarly1602
above board1603
round1604
displayedly1611
on (also upon) the square?1611
undisguisedly1611
broadly1624
discoveredly1659
unveiledly1661
under a person's nose1670
manifestly1711
before faces1762
publically1797
overboard1834
unashamedly1905
upfront1972
1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 63 A new married couple more than ordinarily fond before faces.
1826 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 14 Oct. 176/2 Sunday evening is the time for courting, in the country. It is not convenient to carry this on before faces.
1849 M. Percival Irish Dove 235 Although she never gave any [advice] before faces,..every one well knew that he acted according to her wishes.
P5. With reference to the face as the front, or the part presented in an encounter (cf. sense 2d).In many phrases merely expressing the notion of confrontation or opposition, without any reference to the literal sense.† e. to have the wind in one's face (and variants): to encounter resistance or opposition from, or as though from, a head wind. Obsolete.† f. to make face to: to offer resistance to. Obsolete. [After French faire face à to confront in battle (1657 in faire face à l'ennemi), to stand firm in the face of (danger, events, etc.) (1798; 1671 in sense ‘to have the front turned towards’).]
a. to meet (a person, etc.) in the face: to confront (a person, etc.) directly. Also figurative. Now rare.
ΚΠ
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. 2538 Ȝe of knyȝthod..take on honde..like a man to mete hem in þe face.
1600 N. Breton Pasquils Mad-cap 19 Money, oh God, it carries such a grace, That it dare meete the Diuel in the face.
a1625 J. Fletcher Pilgrim ii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ggggg2v Like the Pesant, That dares not meet the Lyon in the face, [thou] Digst crafty pit-fals.
1780 Monthly Rev. May 401 The accumulated repetitions of the fame facts, reasonings, proofs, and explications, which meet us full in the face where we least expect them.
1807 C. I. M. Dibdin Mirth & Metre 101 The Stag thinks a pack up yon hill in full speed Are rising to meet him, poor fool! in the face.
1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. I. xiv. 193 Seldom meeting them in the face or reaching a decision which marks an advance.
1922 W. D. Lighthall Old Measures 20 Thank those who there have fought the trees, And howling wolves and bears. They met the proud woods in the face.
b. to shut the door in (also †upon) (a person's) face (and variants): to reject someone outright by closing a door, etc., against him or her; (figurative) to terminate an exchange or conversation abruptly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > closed or shut condition > close or shut [verb (transitive)] > close by obstruction or block up > block the way or a passage
forsetc900
withseta1300
stop13..
speara1325
withsperre1330
to stop one's way1338
shut1362
forbara1375
beseta1400
stopc1400
precludea1513
interclude1526
to shut up1526
forestall1528
fence1535
hedge1535
quar1542
foreclose1548
forestop1566
to flounder up1576
obstruct1578
bar1590
retrench1590
to shut the door in (also upon) (a person's) face1596
barricade1606
barricado1611
thwartc1630
blocka1644
overthwart1654
rebarricado1655
to choke up1673
blockade1696
embarrass1735
snow1816
roadblock1950
the world > action or operation > difficulty > hindrance > hindering completely or preventing > hinder completely or prevent [verb (intransitive)]
prevent1579
to shut the door in (also upon) (a person's) face1768
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. iii. 38 The rude Porter that no manners had Did shut the gate against him in his face . View more context for this quotation
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 303 The Venetian Factor..shutting his gate vpon my face.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey I. 181 'Tis shutting the door of conversation absolutely in his face.
1794 A. M. Bennett Ellen III. 107 She flounced the door in his face.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I clxiv. 85 The door was fasten'd in his legal face.
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour I. 348/2 They always wait where they think there's the slightest chance of effecting a sale, until the door is slammed in their face.
1922 D. Canfield Rough-hewn ix. 65 He just jumped out of bed as though the house were on fire, and slammed the door shut in her face.
2005 M. Radcliffe Northern Sky 58 You either sit round here wondering,..or go and find out and run the risk of her shutting the door in your face.
c. to fly in (a person's) face: (originally, esp. of a dog) to spring at, attack (someone) in the face (also figurative); now rare. Hence to fly in the face of: to attack or oppose (a person or thing); (now esp.) to be openly at variance with (what is usual or expected).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)]
withgo743
to go again ——OE
withsayc1175
again-goc1275
withsitc1300
thwarta1325
to go against ——a1382
counter1382
repugnc1384
adversea1393
craba1400
gainsaya1400
movec1400
overthwart?a1425
to put (also set) one's face againsta1425
traversea1425
contrairc1425
to take again ——c1425
contraryc1430
to take against ——a1450
opposec1485
again-seta1500
gain?a1500
oppone1500
transverse1532
to come up against1535
heave at1546
to be against1549
encounter1549
to set shoulder against1551
to fly in the face of1553
crossc1555
to cross with1590
countermand1592
forstand1599
opposit1600
thorter1608
obviate1609
disputea1616
obstrigillate1623
contradict1632
avert1635
to set one's hand against1635
top1641
militate1642
to come across ——1653
contrariate1656
to cross upon (or on)1661
shock1667
clash1685
rencounter1689
obtend1697
counteract1708
oppugnate1749
retroact?1761
controvert1782
react1795
to set against ——1859
appose-
society > authority > lack of subjection > refuse to submit to [verb (transitive)] > act in direct opposition to
to fly in (a person's) face1553
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique iii. f. 106v Let hym haue his will, and he will flye in your face.
1628 Churchwarden's Presentment in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 298 The wiffe of vmprie dawes did fflie in the face of old widowe bucke and threw her downe.
1642 J. Eaton Honey-combe Free Justific. 206 The Dogge..will presently flie in ones face, and bee ready if he can to pull out ones throat.
1689 Proc. & Tryal Archbishop of Canterbury & Right Rev. Fathers 133 Shall he come and fly in the Face of the Prince? shall he say it is illegal?
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. iii. viii. 202 Thackum held, that this was flying in Mr. Allworthy's Face. View more context for this quotation
1753 Extracts Trial J. Stewart in Scots Mag. Oct. 494/1 It was flying in the face of the legislature itself.
1876 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1889) I. 379 He has..been..apt to fly in the face of some who courted him.
1891 Nation 10 Dec. 440/2 He had to fly in the face of adverse decisions.
1948 Life 6 Sept. 24/1 To believe any such thing is to fly in the face of both history and scripture.
2006 Weekend Bull. (Molendinar, Queensland) 15 Apr. 74/4 The findings..fly in the face of the myth that chocolate is an antidepressant.
d. in (the) face of.† (a) In front of, directly opposite to. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > opposite [preposition] > directly opposite
fore-again1506
fore-right against1548
in (the) face of1607
1607 B. Jonson Volpone ii. ii. sig. D4 I..was euer wont to fixe my Banke in face of the publike Piazza, neare the shelter of the portico.
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 309 He raised a very high Cross, just in the face of Diabolus..and..hanged the young villains. View more context for this quotation
1766 T. Page Art of shooting Flying 36 When a bird comes directly in your face, Contain your fire awhile.
1851 Househ. Words 13 Sept. 577/2 One street of tumble-down houses, in face of a couple of miles of sand and shingle.
1879 E. Dowden Southey 14 He was for the first time in face of the sea.
(b) When face to face with, when confronted with (literal and figurative).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > confronted by difficulty [preposition]
in (the) face of1612
up against ——1896
1612 S. Sturtevant Metallica viii. 67 A deuise called the Crampe, which will sodenly stay (in the face of the storme) the..circumgyration of the wheeles.
1726 J. Barker Lining of Patch-work Screen 191 I perk'd up in the face of quality, and was a companion for my betters.
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 248 If a line with reserves, finds it necessary to retire in face of an enemy.
1871 S. Smiles Character ii. 36 In the face of bad example, the best of precepts are of but little avail.
1885 Manch. Examiner 3 June 5/3 The difficulty of keeping up wages in the face of a drooping market.
1904 Pittsburgh Gaz. 31 Oct. 4 Can anyone suppose Russia would apologize in the face of so grave a violation of neutrality?
1998 T. C. Boyle Riven Rock 165 She couldn't keep it in,..not in the face of this mindless barbarism.
(c) In defiance of, in direct opposition to, notwithstanding.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > in opposition to [preposition] > in defiance of
atour1535
in defiance of1750
in (the) face of1837
1837 Baroness Bunsen in A. J. C. Hare Life & Lett. Baroness Bunsen (1879) I. x. 461 They now assert here, in the face of facts, that the cholera has ceased.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 276 They were convicted in the face of the letter and of the spirit of the law.
1880 Athenæum 25 Sept. 395/1 The superexaltation of St. Peter in face of the historical evidence which remains as to St. Paul's influence at Rome.
1921 J. Galsworthy To Let 33 In face of these proffered allurements, however, Jon had remained undecided.
2007 Publican 23 Apr. 23/3 Consumer demand for eating out..appears to be resilient in the face of some challenging economic conditions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > adversity > be in adversity [verb (intransitive)]
tholec897
pinea1225
steada1300
endure1340
to well in woea1350
labourc1450
concernc1592
to have a good (bad, etc.) time (of it, formerly on it)1647
to have the wind in one's face1649
to be on (also at) the receiving end1909
to feel the draught1925
to have (one's) ass in a sling1960
to be in lumber1965
1649 R. Baxter Saints Everlasting Rest (new ed.) iv. v. 684 He goes heaviest that hath the wind in his face.
1710 Brit. Apollo 3 3/1 When th' Wind's in your Face, Your Wit grows apace.
a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 17 People ply their business with skill and industry, but the wind turns in their face.
a1734 R. North Examen (1740) v. 321 Every where insulting and menacing the Loyalists.., and the latter had the wind in their faces.
1894 N.E.D. (at cited word) A horse runs well with the wind in his face.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)] > resist
withstandc888
withsake971
forstanda1000
to stand again ——OE
withsetc1000
again-standOE
to stand againOE
warnc1175
wiþerhaldec1175
atstandc1220
astand1250
withsitc1300
sitc1325
asitc1330
(it) may well withc1395
reversea1400
resist1417
ofstandc1425
onstandc1425
gainstand?c1450
endure1470
obsista1475
repugna1513
recountera1525
occur1531
desist1548
impugn1577
obstrigillate1623
counter-stand1648
stem1675
repique1687
to make face to1807
to fight off1833
to stick up1838
bay1848
withstay1854
buck1857
1807 J. Gillies Hist. World II. xxi. 375 He closed the rear, and made face to the enemy, sustaining their assault, until his horse fell under him.
1829 W. Irving Chron. Conq. Granada I. x. 91 The king and his commanders..made face to the Moors,..repelling all assaults.
1833 Tait's Edinb. Mag. July 66 In conjunction with Fairfax, he [sc. Cromwell] made face to the superior force of Newcastle.
g. slang (chiefly U.S., originally in African-American usage).
(a) to get out of a person's face (and variants): to leave a person alone, stop bothering a person (usually in imperative).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from action [verb (intransitive)] > refrain from interfering
to leave the field open1668
to let (or leave) well alone1722
to get out of a person's face1931
non-intervene1937
1928 W. Moore in P. Oliver Songsters & Saints (1984) 33 Take those scroungers out of my face.]
1931 Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. 46 1307 Git out o' my face, or I'll slap ye into the middle of next week.
1981 N.Y. Times 28 June ii. 1/5 Guys come up to me with their arms outstretched, I say: ‘What's that for?’ And they say, ‘1947, Chicago, remember? We got high together.’ I say: ‘No. Get out of my face.’
1987 Chicago Tribune 2 Sept. i. 3/1 Didn't we ask Iraq to kind of cool it, to stay out of the ayatollah's face for a while?
2005 J. Wilson Cusp 51 Fuck off, scumbag. Get out of my face.
(b) to get (also be) (up) in a person's face: to provoke or confront a person.
ΚΠ
?1930 in P. Oliver Songsters & Saints (1984) iv. 121 The rabbit and the terrapin has a race, The terrapin put it in the rabbit's face.]
1946 M. Mezzrow & B. Wolfe Really Blues viii. 106 He got in my face just as I stepped into the lobby from the elevator at union headquarters.
1948 Z. N. Hurston Seraph on Suwanee 201 Brought him along because I suspicioned some piker like you was going to get up in my face.
1953 W. Fisher Waiters vi. 125 Not for nothing..was Asher forever ‘in the Kingfish's face’.
1990 San Francisco Chron. 17 Oct. d7/6 We've got to get in their face more. We've got to make more plays—more tipped balls, more interceptions.
1992 T. Davis 1959 (1993) 226 And he still hasn't gotten up in my face to tell me to go to hell yet.
2005 M. M. Frisby Wifebeater iii. 17 In those last three weeks alone, two of my boaws from down South Philly were in my face trying to get me to hustle.
(c)
in your face int. and adj. originally Basketball colloquial (a) int. (used to express scorn or derision); (b) adj. (chiefly hyphenated) bold or aggressive; blatant, provocative; brash.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > expressions used in derision or ridicule [phrase]
scilicet1539
don't make me laugh1733
I should smile1883
how do you like them (also those) apples?1895
in your face1975
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > [adjective] > pert or brash
pertc1405
skipjack1598
puppily1682
whelpish1688
saucy1710
owdacious1751
minxing1767
puppyish1775
puppy-like1792
brash1824
pertish1836
cheekish1838
uppish1841
tossy1848
fly1884
soubrettish1891
whipper-snapping1925
in your face1975
1975 P. Jackson & C. Rosen Maverick x. 136 If the ball went in, they'd say, ‘In your face, mother.’ It's just a display of raw ego power—one man forcing another to submit.
1976 C. Rosen Mile above Rim xv. 159 ‘Stuffed!’ shouted the taller boy. ‘Doobie got himself stuffed!.. In yo' face, Doobie!’
1976 Washington Post 10 Mar. d1/5 He proved it, of course, mowing down the 76ers with a burst of ‘in-your-face’ basketball that could just as well have come from a machine gun.
1977 Washington Post (Nexis) 25 Feb. d1 Pipkin was the epitome of the ‘hot dog’, interested only in a personal, in-your-face confrontation with the defender of the moment.
1990 Chicago Sun-Times 30 Nov. i. 90/1 Ismail is unusual in that he's not you prototypical chest-out, in-your-face, strut-your-stuff star.
1992 N.Y. Times 6 June 23/1 The voters are saying, ‘In your face, Bush!’ They are saying, ‘In your face, Clinton!’ That's because the voters are stressed out.
2005 Independent 4 July 58/6 If..the lobbying is too ‘in your face’, then they just want to lock themselves in their hotel rooms.
P6. With reference to courage, boldness, or effrontery (cf. sense 3).† b. to push (also show) a face: to exhibit a bold front. Obsolete.
a. to have the face (to do something): to have the cheek or effrontery (to do something), to dare; formerly also †to bear the face (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > be or become impudent [verb (intransitive)] > be impudent enough to
to have the face (to do something)?1562
to have the conscience1595
to have the cheek (to do something)1823
to have a nerve1887
?1562 Thersytes sig. A.iiiv He beareth not the face With me to trye a blowe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. vi. 122 I haue not the face To say, beseech you cease. View more context for this quotation
a1694 J. Tillotson Serm. (1742) VI. xcix. 1591 They have the face to complain of the cannibal laws, and bloody persecutions of the church of England.
1743 C. Cibber Egotist (title page) His own Picture retouch'd, to so plain a Likeness, that no One, now, would have the Face to own it, but Himself.
1839 C. Dickens Let. ?Dec. (1965) I. 624 As a family man, I really have not the face to dine out again to-day.
1848 T. Arnold Let. 16 June (1966) 53 I dismissed my guide with..two shillings; though the little dog had the face to ask ‘sicca-penny more’.
1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend ii. 82 I wonder that any man has the face To call such a hole the House of the Lord.
1928 A. Waley tr. Sei Shōnagon Pillow-bk. 46 How you of all people can have the face to mention cuckoos, I cannot imagine.
1995 D. Lodge Therapy 289 The archdiocese of Santiago had the face to lay a special tax on the rest of Spain.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > be or become impudent [verb (intransitive)]
to bear oneself stout1338
to have the (also a) neck (to)c1395
perk1529
pert1637
to brazen it out1712
to be (also get) smart1736
to push (also show) a face1765
to cheek it1851
whipper-snap1908
the mind > emotion > courage > moral courage > making bold appearance > show a bold face [verb]
boldOE
beard1476
to push (also show) a face1765
1765 O. Goldsmith Ess. xxv. 225 There are three ways of getting into debt, first, by pushing a face.
1778 S. Johnson Let. 15 Oct. (1992) III. 127 I never could get any thing from her but by pushing a face.
1827 W. Scott Jrnl. 10 July (1941) 75 They might have shown a face even to Canning.
1843 G. P. R. James Commissioner 328 He determined to push a face, and advancing gracefully, he said, ‘Sir, I have something to show you.’
c. to put out of face: to put out of countenance, to embarrass or disconcert. Now archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > feeling of shame > shame [verb (transitive)] > abash
abashc1384
rebash?1473
to put out of countenancec1500
to dash (a person) out of countenance (conceit, courage)1530
deface1537
dash1570
discountenance1584
disgrace1607
debash1610
out-nose1624
to put out of face1821
1821 J. D. Paul Rouge et Noir 45 Vice itself affects propriety That puts your vulgar virtue out of face.
1860 Times 23 Aug. 6 Poor persons did not like to be put out of face at church by being brought into neighbourhood with the richer classes who were better dressed than themselves.
1988 M. Graham These Lovers fled Away 194 Despite such rancor, Sarah returned a mild reply. No-one would put her out of face on this last day.
d. U.S. (now rare). to run one's face: to obtain credit by one's impudence, wits, or appearance. Also to travel on (also upon) one's face.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > be solvent [verb (intransitive)] > take credit > obtain credit by impudence
to run one's face1839
1839 Spirit of Times 5 Oct. 368/3 The Picayune says there is a chap in New Orleans who has ‘run his face so often for drinks, that it is completely worn off’.
1845 J. J. Hooper Some Adventures Capt. Simon Suggs v. 63 It was, therefore, time to ‘run his face’.
1856 Knickerbocker 48 504 [I] must travel on my face after this, when I want to go through the College.
1859 Yale Literary Mag. 25 60 If you have not a ready tongue, and cannot travel upon your face, you had better [etc.].
1886 W. D. Howells Indian Summer xii. 206 I'm obliged to you for offering to share your destitution with me. I must try to run my face with the landlord.
1909 Dental Digest 15 589 I started here $2,500.00 in debt, borrowed the money to pay the freight on my chair..and ran my face for one year's office rent.
P7. slang. off (also out of) one's face: (so as to be) intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, esp. to the point of losing one's inhibitions or becoming incapacitated. Cf. off (also out of) one's tits at tit n.1 Phrases 5.
ΚΠ
1972 E. Grogan Ringolevio 46 Both of them were goofballed out of their faces and were hardly able to see straight.
1987 K. Lette Girls' Night Out 61 I was a bit off my face and he came into the Ladies after me.
1993 R. Lowe & W. Shaw Travellers 171 There are bigger buzzes in your life than just drugs. You can get out of your face but there's a natural buzz when you watch a place fill up like that.
1994 J. Birmingham He died with Felafel in his Hand (1997) i. 10 The hairdresser got home at three in the morning, pissed off her face, woke us up and accused us of setting fire to her bed.
2000 Sun-Herald (Sydney) 18 June 87/5 To a huge percentage of people who consume the gazillions of litres of booze produced in this country every year, it's just a cheap and readily available means of getting off their faces.
P8. With reference to outward form or appearance (cf. branch III.).† c. to make a (good, great) face: to make a (good, great) show or pretence. Obsolete.
a.
(a) †at prime face: at first sight; = prima facie adv. Obsolete. [Probably after Middle French de prime face (c1377) and its model classical Latin prīmā fācie prima facie adv.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > sight of something > [adverb] > at (first) sight
at (the, as to the) first sightc1390
at prime facea1413
by the first visage1422
at a lookc1450
on (also upon) (the) view of1489
prima faciec1500
at one sight1508
at the first show of1549
at first gaze1577
prima fronte1622
on (also in) the face of ita1656
on the view1823
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 919 This accident..was..so lyk a soth at pryme face.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 848 (MED) A comedie hath in his gynnyng, At prime face, a maner compleynyng, And afterward endeth in gladnes.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) iii. l. 1072 (MED) At pryme face, as me thouhte it due, I hym receyued at his in comyng.
(b) at (also in, on, upon) (the) first face: at the first appearance or look, at first sight. Now rare. [Compare Middle French de premiere face (c1375).]
ΚΠ
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 166 As to the first face, jt semys yat he wrangis him nocht.
1563 T. Gale Certaine Wks. Chirurg. iv. To Rdr. sig. Aaaiiii Although it seeme harde..at the first face, yet folow thou styll the counsell.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 7 Nathir schawes furth Britannie all that it hes at the first face.
1641 J. Shirley Cardinal iii. ii Though at the first Face of the object your cool bloods were frighted.
a1740 J. Abernethy Disc. Perfections God (1743) I. x. 369 We ought not to pronounce judgment upon the first face of things.
1810 S. Smith Wks. (1859) I. 192/1 A narrative, which, on the first face of it, looked..much like truth.
1826 E. Irving Babylon I. ii. 120 In the very first face and showing of the thing.
1994 W. R. Newman Gehennical Fire iv. 142 At first face, then, it sounds as if Van Helmont is proposing that all substances must be volatilized..before they can be truly combined.
b. to put on a good (also bold, brave) face: to put on a bold, brave, or confident front. to put (also †set) a good (or bold, brave) face on (a matter): to make (something) look well; to assume or maintain a bold or confident bearing (with regard to something); also †to bear out a good face.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > behave well towards [verb (transitive)] > make seemly in behaviour > behave so as to make something look seemly
to put (also set) a good (or bold, brave) face on1490
to make good mien upona1657
the mind > emotion > pride > proper pride or self-respect > imbue with proper pride or self-respect [verb (transitive)] > specifically by freeing from shyness
to keep (a person) in countenance1598
effront1643
to put on a good (also bold, brave) face1704
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) ix. 227 Lete vs..bere oute a good face as longe as we ben alyve.
1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. f. 103v Her greate courage surpassed her weakenesse, and did set a bolde face on the matter.
1582 R. Parsons First Bk. Christian Exercise ii. i. 222 Thoughe he that stoode in daunger should..make shew of courage and innocencie, and sett a good face vpon the matter: yet [etc.].
1605 T. Bell Popes Funerall sig. Aa2 Some cozening trick..by help wherof he might set such a braue face on the matter, as though he were innocent.
1650 A. Cowley Guardian i. v. sig. Bv/2 I'll put a good face on't; he dares not fight, I'm sure.
1704 A. F. Trav. Eng. Gentleman (ed. 2) 89 I put on a Bold Face, Complemented her Beauty in French, and Beg'd her to have a little Mercy upon a Drown'd Rat.
1725 J. Stevens tr. A. de Herrera Tordesillas Gen. Hist. Amer. II. ii. vi. i. 392 Motezuma..put on a good Face to conceal the Grief that perplex'd him.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iv. 259 Richer..puts as good a face as he can on Hugh's discomfiture.
1897 B. Stoker Dracula xix. 264 I shall put a bold face on, and if I do feel weepy, he shall never see it.
1932 H. Ashton Bricks & Mortar ii. 41 He contrived to put a fairly good face on these sensations.
1952 Chambers's Jrnl. Feb. 82/2 Putting on a bold face, but with a fair amount of wind-up, I walked..in the direction the hand pointed to.
1992 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Feb. 156/3 He believes in..putting on a good face.
2005 E. Barr Plan B (2006) ii. 21 I always put a brave face on things and made sure everyone else was all right.
ΚΠ
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cclxix. f. clxiii/1 He gauged ye depnesse of the dyche with a speare..he assayled it nat..but made a good face so to do.
1533 T. More Apol. xlvii, in Wks. 920/2 In some place of the same dyoces..they haue made a great face.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 265 They..made good face and shewe to fight with the Englishe men.
1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. I. i. x. sig. F.viij/2 Many..haue the skill..to make a face as thoughe they loued them [sc. friends].
1661 J. Phillips Wit & Drollery 221 [The Orator] to the Chancellour makes a great face Swell'd in puff-paste of Eloquence vast.
d. †to interpret (words) to wicked face: to put a bad construction upon (words, etc.). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1533 J. Bellenden tr. Livy Hist. Rome (1822) iv. 377 He interpret thir wourdis of Posthumius to sa wikkit face, that the said Posthumius suld..be odius..to the hale ordoure.
e. †to carry a face of: to have an appearance of. †to carry a great face: to have an appearance of importance. †to have a face: to have a promising appearance, give promise of success. Cf. sense 16a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)] > have appearance of importance
to carry a great face1674
1572 Treat. Treasons against Q. Elizabeth ii. f. 131 The whole body and corps of this Coniuration..are made yet to beare and carry a face and shew..of a Sacrifice to your Pallas or Diane.
1644 T. Edwards Antapologia 3 At the first view and reading of it, it carries a face of fairenesse,..especially to such who know not the Authours.
1674 R. Godfrey Var. Injuries in Physick Pref. That is a thing carries a great face with it.
1760 S. Foote Minor i. 45 Pillory me, but it [sc. a plan] has a face.
1782 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) XIII. 419 It carries no face of probability.
1827 W. Scott Jrnl. 13 Sept. (1941) 102 Cadell explained to me a plan for securing the copyright of the novels, which has a very good face.
1866 H. Bushnell Vicarious Sacrifice i. i. 39 Vicarious..is a word that carries always a face of substitution.
f. †to set a face on (something): to present, look at, or interpret (something) in a particular way. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > create or maintain appearance [phrase]
to have some show1556
to set a face on (something)1590
to save or keep up appearances1603
to give (also lend) colour1687
1590 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 309 If thou..have no cunning, but set a face on things, then take heed how you adjure these spirits.
1654 M. Stevenson Occasions Off-spring 84 You tell a lye, And set a face on't too.
1671 J. Dryden Evening's Love iii. 30 I find constancy..come naturally upon a man towards thirty: only we set a face on't; and call our selves unconstant for our reputation.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 278 They..set a Face of civil Authority upon Tyranny.
1716 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 14 Sept. (1965) I. 262 I find that I have.., whatever face I set on't, a strong disposition to beleive in miracles.
g. on (also †in) the face of it: on a merely superficial view, at first sight; without knowing all of the relevant facts, apparently.Originally a figurative use of sense 11d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > sight of something > [adverb] > at (first) sight
at (the, as to the) first sightc1390
at prime facea1413
by the first visage1422
at a lookc1450
on (also upon) (the) view of1489
prima faciec1500
at one sight1508
at the first show of1549
at first gaze1577
prima fronte1622
on (also in) the face of ita1656
on the view1823
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 80 Every novelty carries suspicion in the face of it.
1732 Sir C. Wogan in J. Swift Wks. (1841) II. 669/1 The very distinction [of English and Irish] carries in the face of it a lessening, and strikes the fancy [etc.].
1827 J. Bentham Rationale Judicial Evid. V. ix. iii. ii. 22 Wearing on the face of it a proof of its own injustice, a proof of the unsolidity of the ground.
1882 Knowledge 2 70 The whole theory was absurd on the face of it.
1923 ‘J. J. Connington’ Nordenholt's Million vi. 71 It certainly seemed on the face of it to be a very useless accomplishment.
2002 Independent 6 May 12/7 It doesn't, on the face of it, seem a very serious or plausible idea; but there is an element of truth to it.
h. (a) to lose face: to be humiliated, to lose one's credit, good name, or reputation; (hence) loss of face: humiliation. (b) to save face: to avoid being disgraced or humiliated; similarly to save (one's own, another's) face. [In to lose face after Chinese diū liǎn and diū miànzi (compare diū to lose). With to save face compare Chinese liú diǎr miànzi to leave face for someone, to not completely disgrace someone, also bǎoquán miànzi , liú miànzi to preserve face (in dictionaries). Compare sense 17 and etymological note at that sense.]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > damage to reputation > be discredited [verb (intransitive)]
one's name is mud (also Mud)1823
to lose face1834
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > have a good reputation [verb (intransitive)] > preserve one's reputation
to save face1870
the mind > emotion > pride > lack of humility > lack humility [verb (intransitive)] > avoid being humiliated
to save (one's own, another's) face1898
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > damage to reputation > [noun]
ruffle?1507
scandal1615
odium1645
l'affaire1875
loss of face1929
1834 J. R. Morrison Chinese Commerc. Guide at Face To lose face denotes to fall into discredit.
1835 J. Abbott China & English ii. 84 Contracts..are..punctually executed by those who do not wish to ‘lose face’.
1870 Nonconformist 13 Apr. 346/1 The Government can save face by issuing empty protective documents whenever called for.
1887 North-China Herald 22 Dec. 669/1 The gentry had objected to the erection of a wall,..but were finally contented with the removal of an inch of it and thereby saving ‘face’.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 5 Apr. 5/1 Unquestionably the process of saving one's face leads to curious results in other countries than China.
1899 Harmsworth Mag. June 400 That will save my face in the City.
1914 Our Navy (U.S.) Nov. 12 In order to ‘save face’ we were compelled to christen articles beyond our ken with such names as ‘do-hickeys’, ‘gadgets’ and ‘gilguys’.
1915 J. London Lost Face 33 He had lost face before all his people.
1928 J. Galsworthy Swan Song i. 5 They've got to save face. Saving face is the strongest motive in the world.
1929 Times 3 Aug. 11/3 Each wishes to concede only what can be conceded without loss of ‘face’.
1945 E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited 8 They..sidled away at the approach of an officer for fear that, by saluting, they would lose face with their new mistresses.
1957 M. Kennedy Heroes of Clone iv. vi. 269 Why should I back up this fairy-tale of yours, just to save your face?
1968 G. Jones Hist. Vikings ii. iv. 129 Harald had lost face in his dealings with Norway.
2004 N.Y. Times Mag. 22 Aug. 29/2 Terrell takes the chance to cool-walk away, having saved face in front of his friends.
P9. In renderings of biblical Hebrew expressions, and allusive uses.
a. before the face of: before, in advance of, in front of; also figurative. Now archaic. [After post-classical Latin ante faciem (Vulgate; compare Anglo-Norman devant la face de (12th cent.), after Latin), ultimately after biblical Hebrew ʿal-pnē before, in front of, upon, lit. ‘in the face of’, ‘upon the face of’ and similar compound prepositions. At quot. 1535 the Greek original (Mark 1:2) has πρὸ πρόσωπου σου, itself a calque on a parallel idiom in a Semitic language.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > front > in front of [preposition]
toforea900
aforeeOE
atforec1000
forneOE
beforeOE
forne toc1175
afornonc1275
forne an, atc1275
forouthc1375
aforewardc1380
before the face ofa1382
forwitha1400
forne inc1540
afront1558
ahead1578
in (the) front of1609
in advance1656
forward of1838
front of1843
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 1 Kings ii. 18 Samuel forsoþe seruede beforn þe face of þe lord [L. ante faciem Domini].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22757 (MED) Be-for þe face o þat kaiser Angels sal his baner bere.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xvii. 46 I sall lesse þaim as dust bifore þe face of wynd.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Mark i. 2 I sende my messaunger before thy face. [So in 1611 and later editions.]
1723 J. Trapp Honour building Churches 13 The Gentiles whom God drove out before the Face of our Fathers.
1902 H. Begbie Curious Adventures Sir John Sparrow xiv. 221 We flee from before the face of vegetarianism, fruitarianism, theosophy, and religious manias.
a1986 N. Moore Longings of Acrobats (1990) 82 He shrinks and cowers before the face of love.
b. to set one's face: to give a settled bearing or expression to the countenance. to put (also set) one's face against: to take up an attitude of determined hostility towards. to set one's face †for (†from, to, towards): to turn in a particular direction, to set off towards (a place); figurative to take the first steps to, towards (something). [After post-classical Latin ponere faciam (Vulgate), itself ultimately after biblical Hebrew śom eṯ-pnē, lit. ‘to set the face against or towards’.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)]
withgo743
to go again ——OE
withsayc1175
again-goc1275
withsitc1300
thwarta1325
to go against ——a1382
counter1382
repugnc1384
adversea1393
craba1400
gainsaya1400
movec1400
overthwart?a1425
to put (also set) one's face againsta1425
traversea1425
contrairc1425
to take again ——c1425
contraryc1430
to take against ——a1450
opposec1485
again-seta1500
gain?a1500
oppone1500
transverse1532
to come up against1535
heave at1546
to be against1549
encounter1549
to set shoulder against1551
to fly in the face of1553
crossc1555
to cross with1590
countermand1592
forstand1599
opposit1600
thorter1608
obviate1609
disputea1616
obstrigillate1623
contradict1632
avert1635
to set one's hand against1635
top1641
militate1642
to come across ——1653
contrariate1656
to cross upon (or on)1661
shock1667
clash1685
rencounter1689
obtend1697
counteract1708
oppugnate1749
retroact?1761
controvert1782
react1795
to set against ——1859
appose-
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have (specific) appearance [verb (intransitive)] > have specific facial appearance or expression > assume settled facial expression
to set one's facea1425
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct (one's course, steps, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > be bound for or head for
drawc1275
to-hieldc1275
roama1375
pretend1481
pursue1488
to make forth1508
to be in gate to1548
to make to ——a1568
to make unto ——1593
to be for1606
to set one's face for (from, to, towards)1611
steer1667
head1880
hit1889
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Lev. xx. 3 Y schal sette faste [a1382 E.V. putte; L. ponam] my face [L. faciem] aȝens hym.
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. xxxi. 21 He..set his face toward the mount Gilead. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings xii. 17 Hazael set his face to goe vp to Ierusalem. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Isa. l. 7 Therefore haue I set my face like a flint. View more context for this quotation
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. x. 493 I set face from Court for Scotland.
a1656 Bp. J. Hall Shaking of Olive-tree (1660) ii. 11 Set your faces..against a whole faction of vice.
1664 G. Etherege Comical Revenge iv. vii. 65 Set thy face then; let me not see the remains Of one poor smile.
1781 W. Cowper Expostulation 457 The poorest of the flock Are proud, and set their faces as a rock.
1827 W. Scott Jrnl. 13 Aug. (1941) 89 I can set my face to it boldly.
a1862 H. T. Buckle Hist. Civilisation Eng. (1873) III. v. 469 The first duty of every one is to set his face in direct opposition to what he believes to be false.
1884 Times (Weekly ed.) 3 Oct. 14/2 We set our faces to the South.
1914 E. von Arnim Pastor's Wife v. 47 She was seized..by that overwhelming desire to shake off old things and set her face towards the utterly new.
1927 Observer 21 Aug. 7 The Society has set its face against any tendencies towards ‘institutionalism’.
1992 B. Unsworth Sacred Hunger xx. 161 Wilson, ordered forward on lookout, set his saturnine face to the glimmering horizon.
c. to grind the faces of: see grind v.1 2b.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.
(a) (In sense 1.)
face bleach n.
ΚΠ
1891 Standard (Ogden, Utah Territory) 10 Nov. 3/8 (advt.) Mrs. Graham's Face Bleach.
1907 Daily News 3 Sept. 2/7 A face-bleach for removing all discolorations from the skin.
2004 Econ. Times (India) (Nexis) 5 Oct. A US-based company which launched its cosmetic range, including face bleach, in the '60s.
face cosmetic n.
ΚΠ
1887 ‘M. Corelli’ Thelma II. 207 Beauties..deprived of elegant attire and face-cosmetics.
1943 Jrnl. Biblical Lit. 62 34 [The text] means neither ‘black eye paint’ nor ‘stibium’, but yellow or orange coloured face cosmetic.
2006 Gold Coast Bull. (Australia) (Nexis) 20 Sept. (Bodywork section) 32 It [sc. cucumber] has been used as a face cosmetic for years, as it cools, heals and soothes irritated skin.
face hair n.
ΚΠ
1855 J. J. Jarves Parisian Sights & French Princ. II. 55 Two huge Frenchmen, whiskered and mustached to an extent that would set up half a dozen Hungarian refugees in face-hair.
1927 H. Peake & H. J. Fleure Peasants & Potters ix. 122 Scanty face-hair save for a chin tuft in the male.
1996 M. Lally Cant be Wrong 116 It was traditional for the Irish men of the West to let their face hair grow and only shave it for special occasions.
face massage n.
ΚΠ
1891 San Antonio (Texas) Daily Light 25 July Face massage is becoming more and more popular.
1900 Daily News 31 May 7/4 Departments for manicure, pedicure, and face-massage.
2004 Nat. Health Nov. 116/2 (advt.) Aromatherapy, Indian Face Massage, Reflexology [etc.].
face powder n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > powders
powder1538
rice powder1772
face powder1788
toilet powder1833
French white1844
baby powder1853
violet powder1856
poudre de riz1859
splash1863
papier poudré1907
powder cake1925
1788 S. Glasse Magistrate’s Assistant (ed. 2) 276 Perfumery..Chinese Face Powder.
1879 Chemist & Druggist 21 481/1 60 grammes of..Face Powder—a mixture of talc with a small proportion of white magnesia, coloured faintly red with cochineal.
1920 Punch 15 Sept. 219/1 A lady with a Russian name, no back to her gown and green face-powder.
2002 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) June 74/2 Over-the-top label-lovers will get into Versace's surprisingly creamy face powder.
face sponge n.
ΚΠ
1885 A. Brassey In Trades 311 The black bodies..made them look anything but suitable for use as face-sponges.
2006 Daily Record (Nexis) 11 May (Features section) 13 Chasing two wee boys around the house clutching two toothbrushes..followed by another circuit of the house with a face sponge and soap.
face towel n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > rubbing with towel > towel > face-towel
face towel1867
1867 Lady's Friend Apr. 299/1 Take the bottle of lotion... Apply it with a soft face towel.
1926 A. Christie Murder of Roger Ackroyd x. 127 He wouldn't even buy new face towels, though I told him the old ones were in holes.
1998 Times (Nexis) 3 Oct. One of those scaldingly hot face towels handed out by flight attendants.
face veil n.
ΚΠ
a1817 J. L. Burckhardt Trav. Syria & Holy Land (1822) 438 These rags happening to be of white linen, some of the ladies..thought they might serve to make a Berkoa, or face veil.
1930 A. Clarke Coll. Plays (1963) 67 They wear the face-veil.
2006 Tablet 14 Oct. 2/1 The current controversy over Muslim women who wear the face veil or niqab.
face wash n.
ΚΠ
1746 T. Short Medicina Britannica 18 The bruised Root distill'd in Milk affords a fine Face Wash.
1870 R. Tomes Bazaar Bk. Decorum 29 Now we advise them to overturn into the fire all their face-washes..and to betake themselves to soap.
1907 Daily News 3 Sept. 2/7 A face-wash for improving the complexion.
2007 Men's Fitness July 96 Using the face wash, eye treatment and lipsaver in here will make you irresistible.
(b) (In sense 11c.)
face side n.
ΚΠ
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. xii. 464 An Altar..haveing this Inscription on the face side, that opposite haveing nothing thereon.
?1790 J. Imison Curious & Misc. Articles (new ed.) 7 in School of Arts (ed. 2) Prepare some..size, with which you must brush over the face side [of a print].
1860 C. O'Neill Chem. Calico Printing xxvii. 308 For dark shades it is necessary sometimes to penetrate the cloth..but..better and cheaper colours could be obtained by keeping on the face side only.
1997 L. Yablonsky Story of Junk 261 The face side, engraved in blue, features a head shot of the mustachioed sultan.
(c) (In sense 12a.)
face mortar n.
ΚΠ
1777 J. Nickalls Rept. Dover Harbour 19 Set with such Cement as will harden and become tenacious, although of a cheaper Composition than the Face Mortar.
1847 E. Cresy Encycl. Civil Engin. I. 722 Two bushels of lime, two bushels of minion, and one of sand was the proportion for face mortar ; and for backing mortar, two of lime.
face-work n.
ΚΠ
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §213 The face work of the subordinate parts.
1860 M. Macdermott tr. E. Viollet-le-Duc Ess. Mil. Archit. Middle Ages 90 The masonry is good,..with carefully executed face-work in small courses.
1908 Bull. Amer. Geogr. Soc. 40 96 Which face-work, as built, is itself unhomogeneous with the interior masonry of the Dam.
2004 Archit. Hist. 47 63 The exterior face-work of the existing..hall is uniform.
b. Objective.
(a) (In sense 1.)
(i) † face-levelling n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis Pref. Crosse to that Face-levelling designe, Thy high-rais'd Nose appeareth Aquiline.
face-mending n.
ΚΠ
1607 G. Wilkins Miseries Inforst Mariage sig. D 4v Ilf. What beards ha they? Gentleman-like-beards, or broker-like-beards? Drawer. I am not so well acquainted with the Art of Face-mending sir.
1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator (1748) III. 234 Those..facemending stratagems.
1822 R. Heber in Whole Wks. Jeremy Taylor I. p. cccxxx They..allow their..wives and daughters whatever..concealments and reparations, art..can afford them; yet as to the point of face-mending, they condemn them.
1940 Scribner's Commentator Aug. 70 Conclusions reached were that face-mending for children is the acme of healing, since releasing them from deformed exteriors is also releasing them from deformed spirits.
face-tearing n.
ΚΠ
1909 Jrnl. Royal Anthropol. Inst. 39 92 Face-tearing is now prohibited by law in Montenegro at funerals.
(ii)
face-framing adj.
ΚΠ
1911 News-Palladium (Benton Harbor, Mich.) 18 Oct. 4/4 The maid of honour wore a..little face framing bonnet.
2006 Zest Jan. 17/2 To help soften her features, I added some face-framing layers.
face-wringing adj.
ΚΠ
1615 T. Overbury et al. New & Choise Characters with Wife (6th impr.) sig. I3v A face-wringing Ballet-singer.
2007 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Pennsylvania) (Nexis) 13 May w2 Vile, face-wringing cherry penicillin.
(iii) † face-mender n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot vii. 110 This transient Face-mender would in time have made a good Knight-Errant.
1702 J. Dunton Petticoat-govt. 84 By the impertinent pains of this pretended Face-mender, The Exchanges..are furnish'd with a daily supply..of Beauty-Spots.
1745 E. Haywood Female Spectator (1748) III. 156 Have they not their..barbers, aye, and their facemenders too?
1856 Harper's Mag. Aug. 419 The face-menders, or repiqueses (as he calls them), are divided into two large classes or schools.
face-moulder n.
ΚΠ
1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis Pref. Face-moulders who affect the grace Of a square, plain, or a smooth platter-face.
1923 New Castle (Pa.) News 31 July 20 [The set includes] the chart of the face muscles and the Face Molder itself, designed..to help you mold for beauty.
(b) (In sense 2b.)† face-affecting adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1675 E. Cocker Morals 24 Face-affecting Lasses, Neglect their Graces, to attend their Glasses.
c. Locative.
(a) (In sense 1.)
(i)
face-joy n.
ΚΠ
1850 E. B. Browning Poems (new ed.) II. 336 In your bitter world..Face-joy's a costly mask to wear.
face spot n.
ΚΠ
1597 W. Langham Garden of Health 97 Face spots, or blemishes, anoint with the iuce of the rootes.
1676 J. Cooke Mellificium Chirurg. (ed. 3) 826 Pimpernel..cleanseth Face-Spots.
1708 R. Monteith tr. G. Buchanan Epigr. ii, in Fratres Fraterrimi 44 My Face-Spots that I Gild, with borrow'd Light.
1891 Evening News (Mansfield, Ohio) 12 Feb. 3 Lost. Dog, black with white face spot.
1999 Wildlife News Sept. 8/4 Goldeneye with their clown-like face spot.
(ii) † face-hot adj. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1654 E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot ii. iv. 49 Who, (but one that will carry no coales) would have rewarded a friend thus for his opinion, only in Face-hot presses.
(b) (In sense 2c.)
face-flatterer n.
ΚΠ
a1730 N. Marshall Serm. (1731) II. xvii. 434 The Face-Flatterer is usually found in Company with the back and the busy Mocker.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Vivien in Idylls of King 136 Face-flatterers and backbiters.
1903 B. White Quo Vaditis? ii. 24 This is a People braggart so long, that now they can away with none but face-flatterers.
d. Similative.
face-high adj. and adv.
ΚΠ
1905 Westm. Gaz. 15 June 7/1 The ball went, face-high, just within reach of Gregory.
1910 Living Age 29 Dec. 122 The treasure..exhibited face-high for us to examine.
1999 Santa Fe New Mexican (Nexis) 19 Oct. b1 Players who, concentrating only on their target, vault into face-high kicks with pedestrians nearby.
2002 A. Atkins Dark End of Street x. 50 He ran toward me, his eyes squinted and his fists face-high.
e. Forming adjectives.
face-down adj.
ΚΠ
1906 H. H. Rice Concrete-block Manuf. 41 The form prohibiting their manufacture in either a face-up or a face-down machine.
1935 E. Bowen House in Paris i. v. 75 Leopold..stared at the face-down cards.
2008 Lincoln (Nebraska) Jrnl. Star (Nexis) 4 Jan. d1 Eleven suffocated in a face-down position on an air mattress.
face-first adj.
ΚΠ
1962 Chicago Sunday Tribune 8 Apr. ii. 6 (caption) Gentleman jockey..takes ungentlemanly face first dive into dirt.
2006 Wall St. Jrnl. 17 Apr. (Central ed.) r8/5 The garb would allow people to get around more quickly by either standing and in-line skating or lying on their stomach and executing a face-first street luge.
face-forward adj.
ΚΠ
1907 Westm. Gaz. 11 Nov. 6/3 Accommodation for..two on large ‘face-forward’ seats.
2006 Toronto Star (Nexis) 21 Jan. m3 The tiny personal flotation device... turns the infant upward from a face forward position.
C2. † face physic n. Obsolete cosmetic applications for the face, cosmetics collectively.
face-ache n. (a) pain in the face, esp. that caused by trigeminal neuralgia; (also) an instance of this; (b) slang (chiefly British) an ugly or miserable-looking person (frequently as a form of address).
ΚΠ
1784 G. White Jrnl. 31 Oct. (1970) xvii. 252 Many people are tyed-up about the head on account of tooth-aches, & face-aches.
1808 J. Austen Let. 26 June (1995) 135 Henry sends us the welcome information of his having had no face-ache since I left them.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. v. 34 It gave you the face-ache to look at his apples.
1935 Lancet 6 July 2/1 Neuralgias and pains of nerves serving the surface of the head, such as tooth-ache, face-ache, shingles.
1937 E. Partridge Dict. Slang 261/2 Face-ache, a C.20 jocular term of address.
1961 A. Simpson & R. Galton Four Hancock Scripts 35/2 On a train..a carriageful of the most miserable-looking bunch of face-aches.
1998 N. Jones Hollyoaks (Mersey TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 256. 57 What's up with you, faceache?
2004 D. Mitchell Cloud Atlas (U.K. ed.) 337 I exited the Tiger-Lily, buzzing with face-ache.
face ague n. now rare trigeminal neuralgia; an instance of this.
ΚΠ
1846 J. Laurie Homœopathic Domest. Med. (ed. 3) 349 (heading) Face-ache. Face-ague. Neuralgia Facialis.
1862 G. E. Allshorn Handy Bk. Homœopathic Domest. Pract. 119 It has its seat in the nerves below the skin, about the eye, side of the nose, and face, and is of a periodical character. From this circumstance it is sometimes called face ague.
1941 PMLA 56 806 Tic-Dolly-row... Derived from tic douloureux, a face ague?
face airing n. Mining (now historical) the ventilation of the working face in a mine.
ΚΠ
1849 Mining Almanack 407 Face airing, the current passed round the extremity of the workings.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 99 Face airing, that system of ventilating the workings which excludes the airing of the goaves.
1951 H. F. Bulman & R. A. S. Redmayne Colliery Working & Managem. (ed. 5) 10 About 1760 his son, James Spedding, introduced ‘coursing the air’ in place of ‘face airing’.
face-bedded adj. (of a stone) placed so that the grain runs along the face.
ΚΠ
1863 Archaeologia Cantiana 5 14 An old doorway..with jambs two feet eight inches apart, face-bedded.
1883 Stonemason Jan. It is rare now for a face-bedded stone to be fixed in a building.
1986 Bull. Assoc. Preserv. Technol. 18 2 Do you think the Military Engineers considered face-bedded stone would resist shot to better effect?
2001 Archit. Rec. (Nexis) Nov. 167 Because face-bedded brownstone contains a large amount of mica within the bedding planes, the surface sparkles beautifully.
face-blind adj. designating a person affected by face blindness; cf. prosopagnosic n. and adj. at prosopagnosia n. Derivatives.
ΚΠ
1987 A. J. Fridlund et al. in A. W. Siegman & S. Feldstein Nonverbal Behavior & Communication (ed. 2) v. 187 A reexamination of cases of documented prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces) reveals that in such cases the patients were not only 'face-blind', but that their deficits also included difficulties in recognizing a broad range of visually ambiguous, context-dependent stimuli.
2000 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 13 Aug. c11 Some face-blind people..do well at recognizing faces that are turned upside down.
2015 Wall St. Jrnl. 2 May c9/5 For someone who has been face-blind his entire life, Dr. Sacks is a remarkable observer of human beings.
face blindness n. the inability to recognize faces, occurring as an acquired or congenital (sometimes familial) neurological condition; = prosopagnosia n.
ΚΠ
1977 H.-L. Teuber in Neurosciences Res. Program Bull. 15 346 One has to determine specifically what level of blindness one is referring to (stereo-blindness, color-blindness, face-blindness).
1998 Adv. Imaging Apr. 16/1 Some people even experience ‘face blindness’, a neurological limitation similar to tone deafness and color blindness which impairs their social navigation.
2012 Independent 21 Aug. 43/1 Prosopagnosia or face blindness can be caused by stroke or brain injury, but some people are born with it or develop it despite having no other signs of brain impairment.
face bone n. any of the bones of the face; esp. a cheekbone.
ΚΠ
1710 tr. C. G. Le Clerc 2nd Pt. Compl. Surgeon 23 The Harmonia, when the bones are join'd by a streight, oblique, or circular Line, as the Face-bones are.
1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. viii. 92 His cheeks were fallen in, His face-bones prominent.
1955 F. G. Ashbrook Butchering v. 81 Saw off the face bones just back of the teeth.
2001 H. Cross My Summer of Love (2002) 194 I wanted to hit her, a fast punch of fist bone against face bone.
face bow n. Dentistry (a) (in prosthetic dentistry) any of various devices, typically in the form of an adjustable metal frame extending between the temporomandibular joints, used to record the relationship of the teeth to the movement of the mandible; (b) (in orthodontics) any device used to attach appliances in the mouth to an anchorage (such as headgear) outside it.
ΚΠ
1907 U.S. Patent 870,909 2/1 The plates are then put in place and adjusted in the articulator by the use of the face bow.
1962 Amer. Jrnl. Orthodontics 48 263 A maxillary Kloehn type of face-bow and a cervical strap were placed in order to guide the occlusion into a Class I molar relationship.
1991 Dental Pract. 5 Sept. 10/5 Normal stages of denture construction were followed, ie a wax rim, facebow recording and models mounted on a semi-adjustable articulator.
2001 Seminars Orthodontics 7 82/2 There are multiple reasons why patients will not wear their face bows.
face bread n. [after Hebrew leḥem pānīm (Exodus 25:30 and later; also (with prefixed definite article in the second element) leḥem happānīm ), lit. ‘bread of the face’ (see shewbread n.)] = shewbread n.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > consumables > bread > [noun] > shewbread
shewbread1530
face bread1608
1608 A. Willet Hexapla in Exodum xxi. 385 The shew-bread or face-bread, as it was a figure of Christ, is now no more used: but yet bread..is still retained in the Eucharist.
1837 R. A. M'Ghee Compl. Notes Doway Bible 11 A table..on which were to be placed the twelve loaves of proposition; or, as they are called in the Hebrew, the face-bread, because they were always to stand before the face of the Lord.
1995 D. E. Green tr. G. J. Botterweck et al. Theol. Dict. Old Test. VII. 525 In Ex. 25:30 Yahweh gives Moses a brief commandment concerning this bread: ‘You shall set face bread on the table, continually before my face.’
face breadth n. extent of the face (sense 1) from side to side.
ΚΠ
1651 J. F. tr. H. C. Agrippa Three Bks. Occult Philos. ii. xxvii. 271 Nine face-bredths make a square well set man.
1893 Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 22 16 Face breadth 128 mm.
1999 Human Biol. (Nexis) 71 847 Head length, head breadth, face height, face breadth, nose height, and nose breadth were the dimensions collected for the head.
face-brick n. originally U.S. a high-quality brick used for facing buildings, etc., a facing-brick; (also) these collectively as a building material, esp. when masking an inferior one; face-work of brick.
ΚΠ
1807 Independent Chron. (Boston, Mass.) 21 Sept. 3/2 The Subscriber has been at considerable expense for several years past in the improvement of Face Bricks..superior to the Philadelphia Bricks.
1878 Congress. Rec. 25 Jan. 548/1 In consequence of the limit placed upon the cost of the building, it was found necessary to adopt face-brick.
1901 R. Sturgis Dict. Archit. I. 356 Brick, Face Brick, one of a superior quality used for the face of a wall.
1999 J. M. Coetzee Disgrace (2000) xix. 164 The school is of a piece with the housing estate: a low building in face-brick with steel windows and an asbestos roof.
face card n. a playing card bearing a face (of a king, queen, or jack); = coat-card n.; cf. earlier faced-card n. at faced adj.1 Compounds.In quot. a1804 to drop a face card (slang) apparently = to defecate.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > picture-card
coat-card1563
coated card1566
coat1589
court-card1641
courtier1658
face1674
picture card1707
faced-card1708
pictured card?1770
face carda1804
a1804 J. Mather Songs (1862) lii. 79 Nosey had dropt a face card.
1888 S. O. Addy Gloss. Words Sheffield Face-card, a court card.
1997 Esquire May 67/1 Cards are divided into three groups: the plus group (high-value cards—10's, face cards and aces); the minus group [etc.].
face-centred adj. Crystallography designating a space lattice whose points occur at the centres of the faces and at the corners of unit cells; (of a crystal, substance, etc.) having a structure based on such a lattice (cf. body-centred adj. at body n. Compounds 2).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > structures and forms > [adjective] > miscellaneous other
primitive1807
subtractive1807
based1810
emarginated1816
planoconvex1816
primary1823
hemisystematic1878
face-centred1913
body-centred1918
mosaic1934
1913 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 89 257 The assumption of diffraction by the face-centred space lattice does not completely account for the pattern.
1959 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 193 325/2 For face-centred cubic metals, notch ductility was found to be a linear function of the strain-hardening exponent.
2001 R. W. Cahn Coming of Materials Sci. iii. 100 (caption) Precipitation of a hexagonal close-packed phase from a face-centred cubic phase in a Cu-Si alloy.
face chuck n. Engineering = faceplate n. 2.
ΚΠ
1827 Franklin Jrnl. 3 203 The flat, or face chuck, is a well known, and useful appendage to the lathe.
1949 F. J. Camm Newnes Engineer's Ref. Bk. 715 Several attachments are provided with the machine, these including a four-jawed chuck, a face-plate, and a face chuck with draw-back collet.
1964 G. M. Ulanov in R. H. Macmillan Progr. Control Engin. II. 226 The transient dynamic error which arises when the speed of the revolution of the face chuck changes.
face cloth n. †(a) a cloth for protecting the face of a baby; (also) a cloth laid over the face of a corpse (obsolete); (b) a woollen cloth with a smooth napped surface; (c) a cloth for washing the face, a face flannel.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > washing the hands > vessel for washing the hands (and face) > face-cloth
face cloth1584
wash-rag1890
face flannel1898
flannel1906
wash-cloth1915
washer1951
oshibori1956
the world > life > death > disposal of corpse > preparation or treatment of corpse > [noun] > laying or wrapping in shroud > head- or face-cloth
facialea1400
face cloth1748
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from wool > [noun] > with nap
Welsh cotton1546
Welsh frieze1551
Welsh cloth1565
veloursa1884
zibeline cloth1892
face cloth1898
fleece1957
1584 in F. G. Emmison Essex Wills (1995) (modernized text) X. 101 To my daughter Susan Rofe..the childbed sheet, and my best facecloth which I have lent her.
1593 P. Henslowe Diary 2 June (1961) 113 Face cloth of cambricke.
1685 Inventory in Proc. Soc. Antiquaries Scotl. (1924) 58 359 A parchment box wherein is 3 flanan face cloaths.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. lxxxi. 281 She saw the coffin, she withdrew her hand from mine, and..removed the face-cloth.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Guinevere in Idylls of King 225 The white mist, like a face-cloth to the face, Clung to the dead earth.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 29 Sept. 3/2 Dark plaid skirts and face-cloth coats.
1930 Chemist & Druggist 112 663/1 A novelty in the way of face cloths.
1951 J. Frame Lagoon 33 She would buy Nurse Harper a cake of soap and a face-cloth wrapped in cellophane.
1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 227 Face-cloth. This is a term loosely used for a face-finished, sleek, glossy, luxurious looking woollen cloth.
2003 Independent 19 Nov. ii. 7/1 Don't share their towels, face cloths or deep-fried Goodfella's pizzas.
face cog n. Mechanics (more fully face cogwheel) a cog or tooth on the flat part of a wheel, parallel to the axle, rather than on the rim.
ΚΠ
1791 R. E. Raspe tr. I. Born Amalgamation Gold & Silver Ores 124 On its upper part the spindle has a thrundle moving by a vertical face cog-wheel on the axis, which turns by a water-wheel.
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 61 An axil which carries likewise another [wheel] with face-cogs.
1967 Technol. & Culture 8 455 A large ‘face’ cog wheel mounted on and turning with the waterwheel shaft engaged a small trundle or lantern wheel..mounted on the millstone spindle.
2007 World Patent 2007/083162 4 The engagement means may comprise a face cog.
face cord n. North American (as a measure of cut wood) a pile of wood eight feet long by four feet high by one piece deep (cf. cord n.1 9a).
ΚΠ
1857 Cultivator Jan. 22/1 The saw..is capable, with the power of one horse, of making from 20 to 30 cord cuts per day, or what is called face cord cuts, 4 ft. by 8.
1907 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 15 Jan. (advt.) For bolts 51 inches long, delivered at our yard, $6.26 per face cord.
2008 North Bay (Ont.) Nugget (Nexis) 10 Jan. b2 The club underestimated its need for firewood this season and is desperately looking for one or two face cords of dry firewood.
face covering n. any of various types of mask or covering worn to protect or conceal the face; (now) esp. one worn over the mouth and nose in order to reduce the transmission of infectious agents.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > mask
invisory1583
mask1601
vizard1614
face coveringa1732
a1732 T. Boston Christian Life Delineated (1775) 27 The face-covering that was on the condemned is destroyed.
1829 Sheffield Independent 4 July [He] passed through the burning flames, protected by..a face covering made of..metallic netting.
1946 Sci. News Let. 20 July 42/2 Skilled surgeons operate behind spotless face coverings.
1996 Jrnl. Law & Relig. 12 54 Minnesota police arrested a Muslim woman because of her face veil... She was charged with violating a city ordinance that prohibited face coverings.
2020 Independent (Nexis) 17 Apr. (Home section) 1 The mayor of London has said that masks should be made compulsory on public transport, citing evidence that suggests face coverings reduce the spread of coronavirus.
face cream n. a cosmetic cream applied to the face to improve the complexion (as cold cream, moisturizer, or the like).
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > unguents or moisturizers
oil of talc1582
slick1626
cold cream1709
cream1765
amandin1861
face cream1889
skin food1892
skin cream1894
orange-flower skin food1908
violet cream1912
day cream1915
vanishing cream1916
night cream1926
orange skin food1926
baby oil1930
hormone cream1938
moisture cream1957
moisturizer1957
mousse1971
1889 Sunday Herald (Syracuse, N.Y.) 13 Jan. 6/3 One manufacturer boldly asserts that the formula for his ‘face cream’ was found in the tomb of Cleopatra.
1906 E. Aria Costume i. 1 Queen Victoria Eugénie, whose name has been snatched to honour a face-cream.
1935 A. Christie Death in Clouds xix. 182 Jars of face cream.
2004 Red Oct. 279/2 A refreshing face mist, nourishing lip balm,..deeply hydrating face cream and cream blush.
face cut n. Forestry the first thin piece of timber removed from a log when a straight face is cut along it.
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the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > lumbering > [noun] > transport of logs > cut in log
face cut1874
saddle notch1910
snipe1958
1874 W. M. Baines Narr. E. Crewe viii. 180 After taking off a ‘face cut’.
1950 H. Wilson My First 80 Years vii. 105 So far we had asked for ‘face-cuts’, the first slices off the logs with the bark adhering.
1996 Mech. Connections in Wood Struct. (Amer. Soc. Civil Engin.) 211 For a constant load angle, the strength depended on the grain angle (slope of face cut).
face-cutting adj. (of a tool or a piece of equipment) designed for cutting a plane surface on a curved object.
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1939 U.S. Patent 2,182,066 3/1 The cutting head has on the outer face thereof a plurality of inner face-cutting edges.
1963 C. R. Cowell et al. Inlays, Crowns, & Bridges ix. 99 The undercut formed by the bulge of the cingulum is removed, using a face-cutting inverted cone or tapered fissure diamond.
2003 Precision Engin. 27 117/2 Many diamond turning machines are for face cutting applications.
face-decorated adj. (esp. of pottery) decorated with the representation of a face or faces.
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1918 T. W. F. Gann Maya Indians Southern Yucatan 123 The crude face-decorated bowls still used by the modern Lacandones.
1985 E. W. Baker Clarke & Lake Co. 25/1 While human faces on pipes are usually a nineteenth-century phenomenon, part of a face-decorated pipe bowl..has been recovered at Arrowsic and in two other early contexts.
face decoration n. (a) decoration of the face with cosmetics, paint, etc.; (b) decoration (esp. of pottery) with the representation of a face or faces.
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1856 Harper's Mag. Aug. 419 The writings of a Paris feuilletoniste upon the subject of ‘Face decoration for ladies’.
1928 H. Peake & H. J. Fleure Steppe & Sown 97 Its curious pottery with face decorations reminds us of the face-decorated handles of pots from Cemetery A at Kish in Mesopotamia.
1956 Amer. Antiq. 21 328/2 Patterns of carefully executed painted face decoration.
2005 Guardian (Nexis) 15 Jan. (Travel section) 12 Traders sell fruit, vegetables and conical heaps of brightly coloured kumkum powder, used for face decoration.
face dyke n. Scottish and Irish English (northern) a wall having a vertical face, usually of stone or wood, on one side only, the other side being an earthen embankment.
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1643 in F. Roberts & I. M. M. Macphail Dumbarton Common Good Accts. (1972) 125 Item the particularis following for bigging of the faice dyk of the commoun peir.
1812 W. Singer Agric. County of Dumfries 151 The face dyke being built against a cut down bank, is a fence only in one direction. It protects a hedge, and costs about 5s. per rood, four feet high.
1875 Border Treasury 463 Aw fell aff the tap o' a face-dyke.
1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 118/1 Face dyke, a field boundary wall with a single vertical face of sods or stones.
face flannel n. a flannel (flannel n. 1e) for washing the face; = face cloth n. (c).
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > washing the hands > vessel for washing the hands (and face) > face-cloth
face cloth1584
wash-rag1890
face flannel1898
flannel1906
wash-cloth1915
washer1951
oshibori1956
1898 W. Monnington & F. J. Lampard Our London Poor Law Schools 50 Each child has its own towel, and face flannels are rigidly excluded.
1939 ‘J. Struther’ Mrs. Miniver 47 All the accumulations on the debit side of parenthood:..the plasticine on the door-handles, the face-flannels in the bathroom, [etc.].
1999 Independent 11 Dec. (Mag.) 57/1 A tired and crusty, ochre-hued, prep-school face-flannel.
face fly n. chiefly North American the fly Musca autumnalis (family Muscidae), resembling the house fly, which gathers in large numbers on the faces of cattle and other livestock and feeds on secretions and open wounds; also called (esp. British) autumn fly.The fly is native to Eurasia, but was introduced in the 1950s to North America, where it has become a serious pest.
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1959 Lima (Ohio) News 28 July 8/6 The pest is called the ‘face fly’. It looks much like the common house fly.
1990 New Scientist 24 Nov. 49/2 With a body mass less than that of a face fly, this shy, delicate moth is among the smallest tear-loving species.
2003 Successful Farming Apr. 21 (advt.) The CyLence Ultra tag proved twice as effective at controlling face flies compared to a leading cyfluthrin (pyrethroid) tag.
face fungus n. colloquial a man's facial hair, esp. a beard.
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the world > life > the body > hair > hair on lower part of face > [noun]
bristlea1300
subboscos1579
suberch1592
stubblea1596
whiskerc1600
facial hair1830
face fungus1904
zit1912
five o'clock shadow1937
shrubbery1937
1904 F. Richardson in Cornhill Mag. May 684 In spite of the fact that he had grossly over-capitalised his face-fungus, the security seems to have been accepted.
1959 Listener 22 Jan. 183/2 Svengali..with his face-fungus and rolling eyes.
2006 Independent 17 May 8/4 Say what you like about face fungus, it would make up for what's he's lost on top.
face glass n. glass for covering or protecting the face, spec. the glass window of a diver's helmet (now chiefly historical).
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the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [noun] > underwater swimming > equipment > parts of
face glass1896
face piece1908
1859 Sci. Amer. July 44/2 A cast metal sash or rim..which receives and supports the face-glass [in the lid of a coffin] when it is cemented in its proper place.
1896 Strand Mag. 12 356/1 It is useless to butt the face-glass or wildly knock your head against the inside of the helmet.
1911 R. Bedford in McClure's Mag. July 260/2 The tender screwed the face-glass into the helmet.
2006 Business Recorder (Nexis) 17 Aug. Bullet-proof helmet with face glass protection.
face glove n. a cosmetic glove used to protect or (now esp.) to scrub the face.
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1889 Harper's Bazar 11 May 359/1 (advt.) Madame Rowley's toilet mask..or face glove.
1924 W. Deeping Three Rooms ii. 11 She was..using the face-glove with angry vigour.
2008 ecotopia.co.uk 14 Mar. (O.E.D. Archive) Exfoliating Face Glove... This Face Glove does not require any chemicals to remove make-up.
face guard n. (a) the face shield on a helmet; (b) any protective covering or mask for the face, used esp. in some industrial processes and sports.
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1846 F. W. Fairholt Costume in Eng. 433 Beaver. The face-guard of a helmet.
1858 P. L. Simmonds Dict. Trade Products Face-Guard, a wire gauze mask used by workmen, as in stone-breaking,..&c.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 822/2 Face-guard, a mask with windows for the eyes.
1909 C. Ffoulkes Armour & Weapons iv. 83 The face-guard, when used with the burgonet, is called the Buffe.
1988 Times (Nexis) 20 Nov. Cricketers pretend they are American footballers by dressing up in brightly coloured pyjamas and crash helmets with face guards.
2003 J. R. Lennon Mailman i. i. 62 Firefighters wait in full gear, yellow coats and hats, faceguards and giant boots.
face hammer n. a hammer having a blunt or flat face.
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1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 822/2 Face-hammer, one with a flat face.
1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. Face Hammer (Masonry), one with one blunt and one cutting end.
1885 Manufacturer & Builder Mar. 61/2 This consists in removing projections so as to secure a rough smooth-surface, and is done with the face hammer, the plain ax or the tooth ax.
1979 Bull. Assoc. Preserv. Technol. 11 12 Face hammer similar to the double face hammer but with one blunt and one cutting end.
face-harden v. Metallurgy (transitive) = surface-harden vb. at surface n. Compounds 3.
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1894 Times 30 June 9/6 All three [armour] plates had been face-hardened by the Harvey process.
1896 Westm. Gaz. 28 Feb. 6/3 All thick armour is face-hardened on the Harvey principle.
1983 U.S. Patent 5,853,655 7 The wheel washer perimeter, which will be in contact with the workpiece, may be face hardened.
face-hardened adj. Metallurgy having a hardened surface.In quot. 1874: having a hardened face or expression.
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1874 Porcupine 21 Feb. 742/3 They were seen to join in the revelry and devilry as drunkenly as the most face-hardened of their companions.]
1895 Times 14 Nov. 8/2 The Sterling Steel Company had proposed to submit its shells to tests against face-hardened plates.
1983 Internat. Security 8 12 Technology transformed the battleship by producing..face-hardened, alloy steel armor, [etc.].
2001 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 26 Sept. c2 Come here to download a face-hardened armour-penetration calculator.
face job n. (see job n.2 1d).
face joint n. Engineering and Building a joint on the face of an object or structure, esp. a wall.
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1839 G. W. Buck Pract. & Theoret. Ess. Oblique Bridges iii. 17 The angle which a tangent to the coursing joint makes with the face joint, on the obtuse side of the arch.
1930 Engineering 10 Oct. 451/1 The end bracket structure on the ends of each tube formed the lateral forms for the joint concrete. The actual face joint was made with lead wool caulked.
2005 Building Design (Nexis) 22 Apr. 19 The joints were struck flush, and tamped with a stiff-bristled brush to compact the face joint and reveal the sand.
face knocker n. a door knocker having the form of a face.
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1769 Public Advertiser 18 May 3/4 Iron Face Knockers.
2005 Econ. Times (Nexis) 7 Jan. The right number plate outside your home can..complement that Italian brass face knocker you treasure.
face lathe n. Engineering a lathe for working or finishing items with a large surface area and little depth, the items being typically attached to the lathe on one side only.
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1851 Harper's Mag. May 732/1 A face lathe, which is employed for turning wheels,..and such other pieces of work as do not furnish two opposite points of support.
1911 Times Engin. Suppl. 16 Aug. 1/3 A light lathe, a screw-cutting lathe, a face lathe, [etc.].
1997 Manufacturing Technol. 46 451 A mirror-surface finish with no cracks was achieved on a face lathe.
face-line n. a line on a face, or the alignment of a face, in various senses; spec. (a) the alignment of the face of a structure, building, etc.; (b) Mining the line of the face of a mine (see sense 22); (c) (chiefly in plural) the lines or wrinkles on a person's face.
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the world > space > direction > [noun] > direction of the face of anything
face-line1730
1730 E. Oakley Mag. Archit., Perspective, & Sculpt. i. 24 The flutes are semi-circles whose centers are on the face line of the Pillaster.
1853 W. Johnson Armengaud's Pract. Draughtsman's Bk. Industr. Design 186/1 One [pen] can be set for the face line, and the other for the shadow, or back-line, of a hedge.
1877 E. M. A. Heron Balance of Pain 13 A hard man, Business in every face-line.
1883 W. S. Gresley Gloss. Terms Coal Mining 99 Keep the face line of the stall neither fully face on nor end on.
1906 Daily Chron. 13 July 3/3 They are the real Rembrandt. There is a deep furrow in the brow; the face-lines are bitten as by acid.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 6 Mar. 16/1 The work of erecting the new intermediate ribs between the old bridge and the new face-line is now in progress on all the spans.
1994 D. Oliver Penniless Politics 43 The peasant-wise face-lines taking her round and round many smiles.
2007 Austral. Mining (Nexis) Oct. 86 Evidence of disturbed geology was present with a 300 mm thrust fault parallel to the face-line.
face-maker n. a person who or thing which makes faces (in various senses); spec. (a) one who contorts the face, or adopts a particular facial expression; †(b) one who assumes a ‘face’ or front (obsolete); †(c) a painter of faces, a portrait painter (obsolete). (d) a make-up artist.
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1602 T. Dekker Blurt Master-Constable sig. D 1v I haue a good heart knaue; and a good heart Is a good face-maker.
1631 R. Brathwait Cater-Char. 8 in Whimzies A painter is a face-maker; and the worst in all his shop is his owne.
1756 W. Cowper in Connoisseur No. 138. 831 The pests and nuisances of society,..the Attitudinarians and Face-makers. These accompany every word with a peculiar grimace or gesture.
1808 J. Wolcot One more Peep at Royal Acad. in Wks. (1812) V. 367 Forced to beg her humble bread While every face-maker can feast.
1829 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters I. 78 Those studied airs and graceful affectations by which so many face-makers have become famous.
1982 Washington Post (Nexis) 26 Feb. d2 The 37-year-old face-maker won..a trip to Las Vegas for her skill with facial contortions.
2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 31 Oct. 16 The mother of all make-up artists,..the most sought-after face-maker on the planet.
face-making n. the making of faces (in various senses); spec. (a) the pulling of faces, or an instance of this; †(b) portrait-painting (obsolete); †(c) slang the begetting of children (obsolete).
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > [noun]
i-streonc893
strainc950
akennessOE
spreadingOE
upspringc1000
akenningOE
akennednessOE
strainc1175
streningc1230
begetc1330
begettingc1330
engendrurec1350
generationa1382
gettinga1382
genderingc1384
multiplicationa1387
increase1390
prolificationa1393
procreationc1395
engenderinga1400
gendrure?a1400
engendure?a1425
progeniturec1429
propagation?1440
teemingc1450
breeda1500
geniturea1500
engenderment1507
progeneration1548
fathering1549
engender1556
race1561
multiplying1599
pullulation1641
progermination1648
reproduction1713
face-making1785
baby-making1827
begettal1864
fertility1866
1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 16 Sundry ptishes, face-makings, shaking of their heads, and diuerse verie disdainfull exclamations.
1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy iii. ii. sig. F4 'Twould disgrace His face-making, and vndoe him.
1773 ‘T. Chet-qua’ Exp. Disc. in W. Chambers Diss. on Oriental Gardening (ed. 2) 163 The Chinese call portrait-painting, or modelling portraits in coloured clay..face-making.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue Face making, begetting children.
1799 J. Austen Let. 9 Jan. (1995) 34 My sweet little George!—I am delighted to hear that he has such an inventive Genius as to face-making.
1827 P. Egan Anecd. Turf 177 If ever she committed any more sins in the face-making line—quod,..should be her portion.
1856 J. Brougham All's Fair in Love i. ii. 12 There would then be a deal of time profitably employed that's now all eaten up with sigh-pumping, and hair-twisting, and face-making.
1946 Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. 61 538 [In early 19th century theatre] face-making was substituted for acting in many characters.
2000 Federal EEO Advisor (Nexis) 20 Jan. The EEOC denied the employee's request for reconsideration, reiterating its determination that she was not aggrieved by a postmaster's comment and face-making.
face-man n. a miner who works at the face of a mine.
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society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > miner > [noun] > one who works in specific part of mine
bottomer1721
surfacer1852
topman1890
bottom1892
face-man1919
face-worker1926
1919 Times 13 Mar. 6/4 There might be a slight increase in the facemen's ratio of production per hour.
2001 Law & Social Inq. 26 584 Let's involve the face man... Let's involve the washery.
face mask n. (a) any of various types of mask worn over the face; (b) = face pack n.
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the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > means of concealment > dress, garb > [noun] > for face or head
visorc1380
visernc1400
visurec1460
visiere1485
vizard1558
vision1563
bo-peeper1609
larvea1656
outsidea1656
vizard-mask1668
visor-mask1672
face mask1754
crape1785
false face1817
bird mask1853
vizarding1861
stocking mask1966
ski-mask1973
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > face packs
face mask1754
mud mask1854
face pack1916
mud-pack1922
mask1928
pack1934
1754 J. Sanxay Lexicon Aristophanicum Διόπη, ἡ, a face-mask.
1888 Columbus Med. Jrnl. May 515 Of the numerous ‘face masks’, ‘beauty masks’, ‘complexion balms’,..not one is good in any respect.
1906 Westm. Gaz. 26 Mar. 2/3 It is unnecessary for the operator [of oxygen-supplying apparatus] to wear any helmet or face-mask.
1998 Village Voice (N.Y.) 14 Apr. 30/3 Models appeared wearing velvet Hannibal Lecter face masks.
2003 Daily Tel. 18 Dec. i. 20/3 There is plenty of..skin and bodycare advice, along with great recipes for homemade face masks, shampoos and body scrubs.
face mould n. the mould of a face, or a mould for making a face; spec. (a) Building a pattern for making the handrail of a stair (obsolete); (b) a plaster of Paris, wax, etc., mould for casting a face (in various senses).
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1696 J. Dryden, Jr. Husband his Own Cuckold i. 7 I have..all manner of Night-vizards, or Face-moulds, with several other Gallantries.
1787 W. Pain Builder's Golden Rule (ed. 3) 18 See Plate 93, for the face moulds a and b.
1819 P. Nicholson Archit. Dict. II. 1/1 Face mould, in the preparation of the hand-rail of a stair, a mould for drawing the proper figure on both sides of the plank.
1838 P. Nicholson Pract. Masonry 199 This method will be found sufficient where a face-mould only is required [for casting plaster ornaments, cornices, etc.].
1876 W. Papworth Gwilt's Encycl. Archit. (rev. ed.) Gloss. 1241 Face Mould, the name applied..to the pattern for marking the plank..out of which ornamental hand-railings are to be cut.
1958 Hesperia 27 314 [In the mass production of Egypto-Roman bronze statuettes] face moulds could be changed at will, and a single type could..be made to represent many subjects.
2007 Manila Bull. (Nexis) 21 Dec. For the face mold, plaster of Paris is used instead of clay.
face pack n. a cosmetic preparation spread over the face and left for some time to cleanse and improve the condition of the skin.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the skin or complexion > [noun] > preparations for the skin or complexion > face packs
face mask1754
mud mask1854
face pack1916
mud-pack1922
mask1928
pack1934
1916 Logansport (Indiana) Daily Tribune 28 May 2 (advt.) Gorman Beauty Parlor..French face pack.
1960 Woman's Own 19 Mar. 25/2 Face-packs twice a week improve the texture and..brighten the skin.
2003 A. Notaro Back after Break ii. 19 What about a girlie night in: face packs,..a long soak with one of those heavenly bath bombs and a large glass of chilled Sancerre?
face paint n. pigment or paint for decorating or colouring the face; a quantity or preparation of this.Originally (and still sometimes humorously): = make-up n. 4d.
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1719 tr. J. Pitton de Tournefort Compl. Herbal I. i. i. 6 The Italians named this plant Belladona..because the Ladies use it much in the Composition of their Fucus, or Face-Paint.
1854 C. Dinneford Family Med. Directory 121 Face paints are used to give an artificial colour to the skin. Carmine, or rouge, to communicate a red, and starch or talc powders a white tint.
c1899 V. M. Raynor Bird Family i. 16 Aunt's been trying some of her new face paint.
1915 Illustr. London News 23 Jan. 120/1 Egyptian women..used..malachite, as the ingredient of a face-paint.
1992 I. Banks Crow Road xiii. 299 His whole face was bruised; kids with face-paints couldn't have matched all those colours.
2000 N.Y. Mag. 10 July 35/3 Pictures of [his] 6- and 8-year-old daughters—giggling in face paint.
face-painted adj. (of a person) having decorative paint on the face; (of a design on the face) made with face paint.
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1963 D. C. Carleton Paraguayan Indian Exped. 39 As our truck pulled into their encampment the Moros swarmed about us; women with red and black painted faces and some fiercely face-painted men.
1983 N.Y. Times 16 July i. 14/4 Youngsters can see themselves in long mirrors as they are ‘made up’ with face-painted masks resembling tigers, zebras, cheetahs, mandrills and red pandas.
2002 A. Caulfield Show me Magic ii. 22 In the vodou districts..every street was roamed on some day of the week by men dressed like kaleidoscopic hedgerows, followed by face-painted boys playing drums.
face painter n. (a) a painter of portraits (now rare); (b) a person who applies decorative paint (or in early use, cosmetics) to the face.
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1697 K. Chetwood Life Virgil in J. Dryden tr. Virgil Wks. sig. *1v Ill Face-Painters, not being able to hit the true Features..make amends by a great deal of impertinent Landscape and Drapery.
1753 Gen. Shop Bk. at Painter The face Painter will not take an apprentice under an hundred pounds, if he be eminent in his profession.
1847 L. Hunt Men, Women, & Bks. I. xiv. 276 The highest face-painters are not the loveliest women.
1852 S. R. Maitland Ess. 107 (note) ‘He took me for a face-painter!’ said a late eminent artist.
1997 Progressive Greetings Nov. 81/3 A Family Fun Day complete with..face painters, expert storytellers and tarot readings.
face painting n. (a) portrait painting (now rare); (b) the action or process of applying decorative paint (or in early use, cosmetics) to the face.In quot. 1597 concrete (in plural): face paints, cosmetics.
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1597 H. Clapham Theol. Axioms sig. c.iiv A box of face paintings.
1633 W. Prynne Histrio-mastix v. i. 159 The common accursed hellish art of face-painting, which the Fathers..much condemne.
1706 B. Buckeridge Ess. Eng. School in J. Savage tr. R. de Piles Art of Painting 399 He was..a Landskip Painter..till he..fell to Face-Painting.
1862 W. M. Rossetti in Fraser's Mag. July 73 Whose picture..shows a higher character of face-painting.
1924 Amer. Anthropologist 26 390 For ceremonial face-painting, red, black, and white were commonly used.
2002 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 28 Feb. (What's On section) 2/5 The third Sunday Street Artshow with..live music, wine tasting,..children's art classes and face painting.
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1611 J. Donne Ignatius his Conclaue sig. B8v Woemen tempting by paintings and face-phisicke.
1623 J. Webster Dutchesse of Malfy ii. i. sig. Dv Bos...You come from painting now? Old Lady. From what? Bos. Why, from your scuruy face-physicke.
1715 C. Johnson Country Lasses (1727) i. ii. 14 She uses no Face Physick, she is none of your Town Daubers.
face piece n. (a) a mask or protective covering for the face, as the visor or face glass of a helmet, the mask of a respirator, etc.; †(b) Nautical a piece of elm bolted to the face of the knee of the head to prevent chafing from ropes and cables (obsolete); (c) a decorative attachment to a horse's bridle.
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the world > movement > progressive motion > moving with current of air or water > movement in or on water > [noun] > underwater swimming > equipment > parts of
face glass1896
face piece1908
1779 Rep. 3 May in R. J. B. Knight Portsmouth Dockyard Papers: 1774–1783 (1987) 25 Trimd and fastend the Face Piece to the Knee.
1784 S. Dobson tr. J.-B. de la Curne de Sainte-Palaye Mem. Anc. Chivalry i. 26 To close and clench together with the nicest evenness the visor or face-piece.
1805 Shipwright's Vade-mecum 103 Face-piece. A piece of elm, generally tabled on to the fore part of the knee of the head, to assist the conversion of the main piece, and likewise to shorten the upper bolts, and prevent the cables from rubbing against them as the knee gets worn.
1898 Proc. Royal Soc. 63 243 The face-piece was supplied with a glass tube..another tube served for the nasal inspiration from the outside of the chamber.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 21 Sept. 5/3 A big round-topped helmet that contains a small glass face-piece through which the wearer can see.
1955 J. Sweeney Skin Diving vii. 90 The only area of unequal pressure that can occur in a swimmer's equipment is that of his face-piece or sea mask.
1960 H. Hayward Connoisseur's Handbk. Antique Collecting 113/2 Face-piece horse brass.
1961 Lancet 22 July 214/1 Immediately after the shock the face-piece was reapplied.
1999 A. Mallinson Close Run Thing ii. 76 This rosette here on the crossed face-pieces must be set dead between the eyes.
2007 Occupational Health Managem. (Nexis) 1 Nov. Employees... must hold each face piece [of a respirator] up to the face and eliminate those that do not provide an acceptable fit.
face plan n. the front elevation of a plan or drawing.
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1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 822/2 Face-plan (Architectural drawing), the principal or front elevation.
2001 U.S. Patent 6,279,592 2 Fig. 9 is the side view of another embodiment of a flexibly elastic and reflective tip according to the present invention; Fig. 10 is the top face plan of Fig. 9.
face plant n. slang (originally and chiefly North American) a face-first fall into or on to something; frequently in to do a face plant.
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1981 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 16 Jan. 46/6 After gaining the fastest first intermediate time, he hooked an edge and did a ‘face plant’.
1996 Wake Boarding Mag. Aug. 38/1 Save yourself a few face-plants, though, and try this method first.
2004 R. Kurson Shadow Divers ix. 213 This time Chrissy did a face-plant onto the deck.
face-plant v. slang (originally and chiefly North American) intransitive to fall face-first into or on to something (cf. face plant n.).
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1986 Toronto Star 13 Dec. h4/2 Even if you're face-planting all the way down Ruthie's Run, you want people in the chairlift above to say, ‘Who is that guy lying in the snow bleeding? Great suit though.’
2007 N.Y. Mag. 22 Jan. 128/3 The day my son faceplanted at the playground, I could not have cared less about PBDEs.
face-play n. facial movement; expression or interaction using this.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > acting > [noun] > facial movement
face-play1850
1850 D. G. Mitchell Reveries of Bachelor 75 Little gifted in the knowledge of face-play, he easily mistook those coy manoeuvres of a sparkling heart.
1958 Listener 5 June 953/2 Neither text nor production was helpful: everything was bustled along with voices too loud and face-play too obvious.
1984 C. Z. Malatesta & C. E. Izard in N. A. Fox & R. J. Davidson Psychobiol. Affective Devel. iv. 197 There is a general cooling off of the infant's interest in face play after 6 months.
2007 L. Sanders in P. Spiegelman Wall Street Noir 347 A mime tries to engage us in faceplay, but we break away, walking toward the sea.
face-playing n. the expression of feeling or sentiment through facial movement.
ΚΠ
1773 C. Burney Present State Music in Germany II. 189 She perfectly possessed that flexibility of muscles and features, which constitutes face-playing.
1852 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 20 Mar. 39 It [sc. a boat trip] was very delightful, notwithstanding the qualmishness and face-playing of the majority.
1971 D. Gardner & S. J. Levine tr. G. C. Infante Three Trapped Tigers 95 Cué gave him a tip which must have been a good one judging by the waiter's satisfied face playing.
face presentation n. Obstetrics presentation (presentation n. 7a) of the fetus with the face towards the mouth of the uterus; an instance of this.
ΚΠ
?1781 W. Perfect Cases Midwifery I. 225 A face presentation, with the forehead above the pubis.
1841 E. Rigby Syst. Midwifery iii. iii. 130 The opinion that face-presentations were preternatural.
1994 Obstetr. & Gynecol. 84 146/1 Face presentation with persistent mentoposterior attitude is widely accepted as an absolute indication for cesarean section.
face-pulling adj. and n. (a) adj. that pulls faces; (b) n. the making or pulling of faces; grimacing.
ΚΠ
1860 Littell's Living Age 15 Sept. 652/2 A long-face-pulling lady with a whining voice.]
1898 Westm. Gaz. 23 June 3/2 His face-pulling man whose countenance is as clay in the hands of a sculptor.
1906 Westm. Gaz. 7 Sept. 3/2 By dint of much face-pulling I managed to persuade my poor muscles to put me in an upright position.
1997 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 6 Feb. (Metro section) 1 That annoying face-pulling woman from Full Frontal.
2008 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 12 Jan. (Traveller) 15 Parents expecting 18-month-old toddlers to sit quietly on their laps..with just..a bit of face-pulling to entertain them.
face print n. (a) an impression left by a face (also figurative); (b) [after fingerprint n.] a computer-generated record of specific characteristics of a person's face, used in computer-aided facial recognition.
ΚΠ
1866 Earthen Vessel & Christian Rec. 1 Mar. 93/1 These men have left their foot-prints, and face-prints, behind them, in the great quantities of Mulattos to be seen.
1990 K. C. Althen Compl. Bk. Snowboarding i. 6 If you head for the top of the mountain without preparation, you'll just make face prints all the way down.
1995 Internat. Jrnl. Retail & Distribution Managem. (Nexis) May (table) Classes of biometric technology... Physiological: Fingerprints. Retinal eye scans... Face prints.
2002 New Scientist 7 Sept. 40/2 Feed the software a series of mugshots..and it'll calculate their faceprints too. Then it can monitor live CCTV images for the faces of known suspects.
face reading n. the inspection of a person's facial features for the purpose of fortune-telling or judging character; an instance of this.
ΚΠ
1926 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 15 Nov. 4/2 According to competent scientists..there is barely enough in face reading to lead one to expect too much.
1989 Washington Post (Nexis) 4 Sept. c1 She mingles with party goers and delights them with quick face readings.
2003 Eastern Eye 3 Oct. 70/1 (advt.) First Indian lady to combine the powers and secrets of palmistry, tarot, clairvoyance, astrology and face-reading.
face recognition n. = facial recognition n. at facial adj. and n. Compounds.
ΚΠ
1947 Jrnl. Mental & Nerv. Dis. 105 630 Face Recognition: At the beginning of his illness it was noted he could not recognize anybody.
1984 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 1 June A speech and face recognition system for industrial security purposes has been patented.
1997 New Scientist 26 July 12/2 The researchers gave the workers a battery of neuropsychological tests, including face recognition and learning numbers.
2005 P. R. Keefe Chatter v. 132 The NSA is developing biometric face-recognition technology.
face-saver n. something that saves face (see to save face at Phrases 8h(b)); (also occasionally) a person who seeks to save face.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > [noun] > preserving one's reputation > that which
save-face1901
face-saver1910
1910 J. de W. G. Addison Boston Museum Fine Arts xiv. 403 Yusen angrily replied by way of a ‘face-saver’, that it [sc. a picture] was intended to represent a stupid boy.
1923 Times 17 Nov. 7/6 To afford an opportunity to the ‘face savers’ to call off the strike.
1959 Times 4 May 3/1 An equalizer in the dying seconds and yet another face-saver in the extra time.
1999 Sunday People 26 Sept. 62/4 The Americans had cooked up a face-saver after agonisingly seeing the Ryder Cup slip from their grasp.
face-saving n. and adj. (a) n. the action or process of saving face; (b) adj. that saves face (see to save face at Phrases 8h(b)).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > [adjective] > preserving one's reputation
save-face1900
face-saving1901
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > [noun] > preserving one's reputation
face-saving1931
1901 Arizona Republic 25 Feb. 2/2 True, the kaiser professed to regard the carefully conditioned reply as an acceptance of his offer, but that was generally interpreted as a bit of diplomatic face-saving.
1902 Times 25 Dec. 5/2 To the Viceroys..the admission of such a possibility contains much ‘face saving’ virtue.
1931 Economist 4 Apr. 716/1 After all, ‘face-saving’ is common form in the politics of every country.
1957 Observer 10 Nov. 1/5 This satellite launching is an isolated face-saving move in a sense.
1997 A. Barnett This Time vi. 173 In dealing with rights and legislation, the government can get away with verbal face-saving.
face screen n. a screen for shielding the face; spec. (in early use) a screen that protects the face from the heat of a fire; (later) a face guard used in industrial processes, etc.
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1788 Cabinet-makers London Bk. Prices 102 Pole and Stand for Face Screen.
1818 J. Keats Let. 16 Dec. (1958) II. 6 I brought from her a present of facescreens.
1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 155 The men around in face-screens and leg-guards.
2006 Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press (Nexis) 30 Sept. d3 Always wear eye and ear protection while using a chain saw. Gloves, boots and a hard hat with a face screen are advisable.
face-shaft n. Architecture now rare a semi-cylindrical shaft (shaft n.2 5a) attached to the face of a wall.
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1835 R. Willis Remarks Archit. Middle Ages iv. 35 Face-shafts sustain face-arches, which have their back only united to the wall, and therefore appear as if placed on the face of it.
1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. v. 153 The outer northern porch measures, from face shaft to face shaft, 13ft. 11 in.
1921 E. B. O'Reilly How France built Cathedrals x. 518 To unify the design, flying buttresses were sprung from..the face-shafts to the octagon.
face shield n. any of various types of shield or hard covering worn to protect or conceal the face (or part of it); (now) esp. a transparent plastic guard worn over the eyes, nose, and mouth in order to reduce the transmission of infectious agents.
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the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > [noun] > means of protection or defence
hornc825
shieldc1200
warranta1272
bergha1325
armour1340
hedge1340
defencec1350
bucklerc1380
protectiona1382
safety1399
targea1400
suretyc1405
wall1412
pavise?a1439
fencec1440
safeguard?c1500
pale?a1525
waretack1542
muniment1546
shrouda1561
bulwark1577
countermure1581
ward1582
prevention1584
armourya1586
fortificationa1586
securitya1586
penthouse1589
palladium1600
guard1609
subtectacle1609
tutament1609
umbrella1609
bastion1615
screena1616
amulet1621
alexikakon1635
breastwork1643
security1643
protectionary1653
sepiment1660
back1680
shadower1691
aegis1760
inoculation1761
buoya1770
propugnaculum1773
panoply1789
armament1793
fascine1793
protective1827
beaver1838
face shield1842
vaccine1861
zariba1885
wolf-platform1906
firebreak1959
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > means of concealment > [noun]
shadowc1200
blindfolding?c1225
coverturec1374
hiding1382
veilc1384
palliation?c1425
covert1574
panoply1576
hoodwink1577
mask1597
cover1600
screena1616
pretexture1618
purdah1621
subterfuge1621
tecture1624
coverlet1628
domino1836
face shield1842
concealment1847
protective colouring1873
camouflage1885
protective coloration1892
smokescreen1926
cover-up1927
scrim1942
marzipan1945
1842 Macon (Georgia) Tel. 18 Oct. Umbrellas, parasols, face shields.
1964 Arc Welding of Aluminium (Aluminium Federation Information Bull. 19) 77 Safety equipment of the usual kinds should be provided (including a helmet or face-shield in which a renewable protective glass of appropriate tint is inserted).
2020 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 11 Sept. Reid opted to wear the face shield in response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Houston coach Bill O'Brien chose to don a mask.
face stone n. Architecture stone, or a stone, used on the face of a structure or building; (also) the slab of stone forming the face or front of a cornice, entablature, etc.
ΚΠ
1792 T. Johnson Let. 29 Feb. in T. Jefferson Papers (1990) XXIII. 166 The Foundation to the surface of the Ground of the hardest largestone, the outside of the Walls then of brown face Stone.
1853 J. Ruskin Stones of Venice III. App. x. 238 The face-stone and often the soffit, are sculptured.
1901 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 1900 278 The Fairmount gneiss was used for face stone.
2000 Boston Globe (Nexis) 30 Jan. (West Weekly) 1 If the search is for a face stone, just one flat, attractive side is needed... Corner stones must have three good faces.
face symbol n. Crystallography a symbol specifying the face of a crystal or other polyhedron, esp. the set of Miller indices (see Miller index n. at Miller n.2).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > [noun] > symbols > designating face or plane
face symbol1857
1857 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 147 183 The letters of a face-symbol may be taken forwards or backwards from any letter without altering the meaning of the symbol.
1903 Athenæum 17 Jan. 86/3 How to convert the face-symbols of Naumann into those of Miller.
1959 C. S. Hurlbut Dana's Man. Mineral. (ed. 17) ii. 32 The zone symbols are inclosed in brackets, as [uvw], to distinguish them from face and form symbols.
1994 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 444 229 The face symbol for the edge-stellated derivative is AiBjCk.
face-threatening adj. that threatens a person's reputation or good name; cf. face-saving n. and adj. (b).
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1955 Digest Neurol. & Psychiatry Oct. 447 If a face-threatening incident occurs, and is acknowledged, it may be corrected and a satisfactory ritual state resumed.
2007 Internat. Jrnl. Knowl. Managem. July–Sept. 51/1 Older people may be more sensitive about face; younger people..could have higher tolerance for ‘face-threatening’ situations.
face time n. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.) (a) time spent appearing in the media; media exposure or attention; (b) time spent face to face with another person, esp. a person regarded as important; interpersonal contact.
ΚΠ
1978 U.S. News & World Rep. 4 Sept. 17/3 The President himself drops by the White House press room to announce or call attention to events that reflect favorably on the administration, thus guaranteeing himself a few precious seconds of ‘face time’ on the evening TV news.
1988 Observer 8 May (Colour Suppl.) 43/1 I have business lunches all the time. The Americans call it ‘doing face time’.
1994 Sunday Tel. 13 Feb. 18/8 Facetime is what you have with your boss in a one-to-one meeting. It's a measure of your influence or standing. A person might say: ‘He has a lot of facetime with Bob, but I only get to call him on the telephone.’
2000 N.Y. Times 20 Sept. d1/1 Celebrities and politicians, knowing this was as good a moment as any to get some television face time, showed up at the Monday night game between Washington and Dallas.
face tissue n. soft paper for cleansing and wiping the face, etc.; a square of this; = facial tissue n. at facial adj. and n. Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > tissue for cleaning skin, etc.
toilet paper1809
Kleenex1925
face tissue1926
tissue1929
facial tissue1930
1926 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 6 June 6 s (advt.) Kleenex face tissues..35c and 65c.
1934 F. B. Sherbon Child xxii. 385 Paper squares such as..the soft paper kerchiefs now on sale, or the popular face tissue.
1951 E. Taylor Game of Hide-and-seek i. iii. 57 Harriet..dropped screwed-up face-tissues on the floor.
1989 V. Singh In Search of River Goddess 59 The envelope which, by now, resembled a piece of crumpled face-tissue, weighed eleven grams.
face-turning lathe n. Engineering (now chiefly historical) = face lathe n.
ΚΠ
?1811 Edinb. Encycl. (1830) III. ii. 609/2 The face turning lathe. This is an excellent lathe, provided with a sliding rest, which supports the turning tool.
1984 Technol. & Culture 25 207 In contrast, the most traditional craft skill was required of the operator of the face-turning lathe.
face urn n. an urn decorated with a face or faces.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > jar > [noun] > urn > specific
face urn1872
1872 Amer. Naturalist 6 p. x. (List of Woodcuts) Ancient Face Urn from Brazil.
1927 H. Peake & H. J. Fleure Priests & Kings 147 The face-urns..do not seem to belong to the invading people who founded Hissarlik II.
1993 C. Tilley Interpretative Archaeol. i. 63 The ‘face urns’ which develop in the final years of the Bronze Age... have eyes, noses and sometimes mouths added to the surface of the vessels.
face validity n. the degree to which a test, study, etc., appears to be effective in terms of its stated aims.
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1941 School Rev. 49 179 Another consideration..is referred to as ‘face-validity’. This term is defined as the degree to which the ‘examinations appear to measure what is popularly understood by the title.’
2007 Cancer Weekly (Nexis) 13 Nov. 92 Two items not fitting the Rasch models were retained because of high face validity.
face value n. the value printed or depicted on a coin, banknote, ticket, etc., especially when less than the actual value; (figurative) the apparent character, nature, worth, or meaning of a person or thing; chiefly in to take (a person or thing) at face value.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > value of money > [noun] > as amount stated on face of note, coin, or stamp
nominal value1696
face value1851
facial value1859
1851 Times 17 June 8/1 The Funding Bill will depreciate this class of paper, as it only bears its face value.
1878 F. A. Walker Money xx. 461 Some English Merchant who is bound to pay money in the United States for more than the face-value of his claim.
1883 J. L. Whitney in Lit. World 8 Sept. 293/1 He must take the advertisements of publishers at their face value, and regard them as what they claim to be.
1891 Law Times 91 224/1 The note is still worth its face value.
1927 A. Conan Doyle Case-bk. Sherlock Holmes 175 He is plausible and cunning... Don't take him at his face value. There is more behind.
1974 Times 6 Mar. 4/3 A scheme to cash stolen pension books with a face value of more than £750,000.
2004 Washington Post 29 Sept. (Home ed.) c11/1 She tells me she..would like ‘to keep hanging out and getting to know each other’. Am I a total goob taking this at face value?
face wall n. the (or a) wall of a structure or building that faces out; spec. the front wall.
ΚΠ
1764 J. Smeaton Reports (1812) I. 95 To..facings..in the 2 face walls.
1847 H. W. Fox Mem. (1853) 267 The walls of a fort skirting the foot of the hills, the face wall of which is about a mile long.
1902 Amer. Jrnl. Archaeol. 6 339 The length of the whole building, from the exterior wall of the apse to the western face wall.
2005 Concrete Wave Early Spring 49 There's also a huge facewall with pool coping and a little street course.
face wheel n. Engineering (a) a gearwheel with face cogwheels; = contrate wheel at contrate adj. 2; (b) a grinding wheel where the grinding is done by the face of the wheel rather than the rim.
ΚΠ
1779 A. M. Bailey W. Bailey's Advancem. Arts, Manuf., & Commerce II. i. 2 The Lever, by which it is discharged from the horizontal Crown-face-wheel.]
1817 Times 25 Apr. 1/5 (advt.) A tobacco engine, with a horse, face-wheel, and gears to ditto.
1897 A. A. Hopkins Magic ii. iv. 247 Upon the bottom of the box rests a copper face wheel..having, say, eight teeth.
1935 A. Wolf et al. Hist. Sci., Technol. & Philos. in 16th & 17th Cent. 534 A bronze friction roller, operated by a series of cams projecting from the upper surface of a horizontal face wheel.
1940 F. D. Jones Machine Shop Training Course II. 361 For grinding holes in which keyways are cut, a narrow face wheel cannot be used with success.
1994 W. U. Ahmed in S. M. DeHayes & D. Stark Petrogr. Cementitious Materials i. 9 The thin section..is removed from the thin sectioning machine and is ground on a glass face wheel.
face wind n. rare a wind blowing against or into the face; also figurative.
ΚΠ
a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 113 A face or back-wind signifies little.
1968 Past & Present 40 127 The prompt and stubborn reaction..suggested that the side wind might become a face wind.
facework n. the exterior of masonry; the material forming the outside of a wall or the like; facing.In quot. 1818 figurative : a front or facing.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > surfacing or cladding > [noun] > a surfacing or cladding > of a wall
queering1688
facework1818
skin1873
society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [noun] > building-material > for walls > exterior
facework1818
cladding1939
1818 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. June 300/1 Upon surveying this man's portraits [sc. Cromwell's], we perceive a forehead high, but flat, being probably a mere face work for the brain behind.
1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 330/1 What is called Flemish bond consists in the disposition of the bricks on the outside, or face work.
1909 Daily Chron. 5 Aug. 1/3 The face-work of the old parapet having been re-erected.
1994 M. Brinkley Housebuilder's Bible (ed. 5) vii. 84/3 Breaking the stones [of flint] open to reveal a shiny black inside which is then set as the facework.
face-worker n. = face-man n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > miner > [noun] > one who works in specific part of mine
bottomer1721
surfacer1852
topman1890
bottom1892
face-man1919
face-worker1926
1926 Rep. Royal Comm. Coal Ind. 118 in Parl. Papers (Cmd. 2600) XIV. Persons working at the face..‘face’ workers. In 1905 there were 58 face workers to 42 off-hand workers.
1957 Economist 23 Nov. 706/2 There are as many faceworkers in the mines as there were then.
2004 D. Peace GB 84 204 These two are from Yorkshire. Bloody faceworkers at Manton.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
facev.
/feɪs/, U.S. /feɪs/ I. To show a bold or opposing front.† 1. † 2. transitive. To confront threateningly, or with assurance or impudence; to brave, bully. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To show a bold or threatening face; to brag, boast, swagger. Also in to face and brace at brace v.2 1 Obsolete (regional in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > blustering or bravado > bluster [verb (intransitive)]
face1440
brace1447
ruffle1484
puff1490
to face (something) out with a card of ten?1499
to face with a card of ten?1499
cock1542
to brave it1549
roist1563
huff1598
swagger1600
ruff1602
tear1602
bouncec1626
to bravade the street1634
brustle1648
hector1661
roister1663
huffle1673
ding1679
fluster1698
bully1733
to bluster like bull-beef1785
swell1795
buck1880
swashbuckle1897
loudmouth1931
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 145 Facyn, or shewyn boolde face.
1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. xxiii A fals extorcyoner Fasynge and bostynge to scratche and to kepe.
1601 R. Yarington Two Lamentable Trag. sig. E3v Wilt thou..Face and make semblance..Of that thou neuer meanst to execute?
1613 W. Leighton Teares or Lament. 92 They face they brag, they boast dissemble Each stone they turne to haue their will.
1851 Shevvild Ann. 24 If yo don't meean to do it, yo mun cut, for yo cahnt face to say yo weeant.
b. intransitive. To show a false face, maintain a false appearance. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > have an appearance of, dissemble [verb (intransitive)]
to make semblant1470
to make semblancea1500
face1566
daub1876
1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. Eiij There is no good for to be done, whilste we are lyuing here: Excepte we lye, faune flatter, face, cap, kneele ducke, crouche smile, flere.
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 15 To laughe, to lie, to flatter, to face: Foure waies in Court to win men grace.
1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Hay any Worke for Cooper 39 Thou canst cog, face and lye, as fast as a dog can trot.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) v. v. 98 Suffolke doth not flatter, face, or faine. View more context for this quotation
c. intransitive. In the card game of primero: to bluff. Cf. earlier outface v. 1a, and to face with a card of ten at card n.2 Phrases 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > other card games > [verb (intransitive)] > actions in specific games > in primero
face1594
to pull (for) primea1625
1594 R. Carew tr. J. Huarte Exam. Mens Wits viii. 112 To play well at Primero, and to face and vie, and to hold and giue ouer when time serueth..are all workes of the imagination.
d. intransitive. To have a (specified) appearance. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have (specific) appearance [verb (intransitive)]
looka1225
to make semblantc1290
to make or show (a specified) semblancea1387
showc1480
show1526
eyea1616
aspect1635
face1669
regard1820
feature1941
1669 N. Morton New-Englands Mem. 106 The evil consequences thereof faced very sadly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > treat impudently [verb (transitive)] > oppose or confront impudently
face1465
overfacec1475
outface?1499
to face down (also out)1530
out-countenancec1585
outstare1596
outlook1599
nose1632
to stare down1798
out-breast1839
1465 R. Calle in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 311 My lordes of Suffolk men come..to Norwich and face vs and fray vppon vs dayly.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. lixv The straunger so faced the Englisheman, that he faynted in hys sute.
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 5 For a Lie faces God, and shrinkes from Man.
1632 P. Massinger Emperour of East v. i. sig. K3v I hold no place of strength..that can giue sanctuarie To malecontents... I haue built no palaces to face the court.
3.
a. transitive. To show a brave or strong face to; to meet (danger, an enemy, or anything unpleasant) face to face; to oppose with confidence or defiance; to confront and deal with. Cf. to face up to at Phrases 1i.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > moral courage > one who braves danger > defy danger (person or thing) [verb]
face1570
dare1580
out-countenancec1585
to stand up to1596
outdare1598
to carry it off1663
to take the bull by the horns1711
brave1776
1570 B. Googe tr. T. Kirchmeyer Spirituall Husbandry i, in tr. Popish Kingdome f. 64 That he neuer yeeld, And boldly meete the prince of hell, and face him in the feeld.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. v. 151 Call you that backing of your friends, a plague vpon such backing, giue me them that will face me. View more context for this quotation
1656 B. Harris tr. J. N. de Parival Hist. Iron Age i. iii. vii. 81 What great body of Nobility march..briskly on, to face that potent Emperour Osman.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 7 These silly ranting Privolvans..face their Neighbours Hand to Hand.
1708 J. Addison Present State War 25 We..cast about for a sufficient number of Troops to face them [sc. the enemy] in the Field of Battle.
1738 J. Swift Wks. VI. 68 Most of them [sc. Clergy-men]..as loth to see the Fires kindled in Smithfield as his L[or]d-sh[i]p; and, at least, as ready to face them under a Popish persecution.
1798 J. Ferriar Illustr. Sterne v. 150 He faced the storm gallantly.
1807 J. Barlow Columbiad iv. 141 To face alone The jealous vengeance of the papal throne.
1842 T. B. Macaulay Horatius xxvii How can man die better Than facing fearful odds?
1881 W. Besant & J. Rice Chaplain of Fleet II. xviii. 82 A man will face almost anything rather than possible ridicule.
1941 Spectator 5 Sept. 225/1 Great Britain, left to face the aggressor States alone..was keeping the enemy at bay.
1999 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 2 July (Sport section) 35 He faced his critics head-on and..left with his dignity intact.
b. transitive. Military. To appear before (a city, etc.) as an enemy prior to an engagement. Now rare.In later use understood as or merged with sense 11.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > attack > attack [verb (transitive)] > face (city) as an enemy
face1643
1643 J. Dorney Briefe Relation Seige Glocester 1 Generall Garret faced this City with his Brigado of Horse in Tredworth-Field.
c1645 I. Tullie Narr. Siege of Carlisle (1840) 1 They..p'ceeded..to face Carlisle with a Rascall rout in 1643.
1660 T. Blount Boscobel 7 During this Encounter, Cromwell himself..advanc'd to Stoughton..and that Evening a Party of his horse faced it.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier ii. 307 Twice we faced the Town of Cambridge, and several of our Officers advised his Majesty to storm it.
1773 J. Hutchins View Principal Towns Dorset 17 The horse faced the castle, the foot entered the town.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India II. ix. i. 275 He performed the journey..with such celerity that..he..faced his enemy..on the ninth day.
1855 E. B. Hamley Story Campaign Sebastopol xxxii. 335 The left wing faced the town, and must be attacked..in the teeth of our siege-batteries.
4.
a. transitive. In weakened sense. To look in the face of; to meet (a person or thing) face to face; to confront (literally or figuratively).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite (something) [verb (transitive)] > be face to face with
confrontc1568
front1582
to face (a person) with1583
face1632
over-front1644
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 303 Facing the Iudge and pleading both our best.
1676 N. Lee Sophonisba iv. i. 44 Faceing thy fate with my Sword drawn I'le stand.
1756 E. Haywood Wife ii. xiii. 176 The frequency of suicidism is..proof..that every one is not endued with courage to face ill fortune.
1779 F. Burney Let. Nov. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1994) III. 420 If I faced him, he must see my merriment was not merely at his humour.
1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia I. ix. 198 Might he but face the terrible enchantress.
1883 Manch. Examiner 24 Nov. 5/2 The great problem which faces every inquirer into the causes of colliery explosions.
1913 Racine (Wisconsin) Jrnl.-News 27 Feb. 3/2 (heading) London suffragettes face life sentences for burning buildings.
1934 C. Sayce Comboman 127 To face a mob of bush cattle on foot would be courting death.
2006 Independent 17 May 12/1 Patients facing long waits who were prepared to go abroad [for treatment].
b. transitive. In passive. To be presented or confronted with something.With quot. 1654 cf. sense 3b.
ΚΠ
1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. Bentivoglio Compl. Hist. Warrs Flanders i. iv. 61 Lodovick when he should be faced with so powerfull an Army..would..without more adoe resolve upon retreat.
1884 Times 20 Nov. 6 The voter..had to proceed to a narrow ballot-box, where he was faced with clear and precise instructions as to how to mark his voting-paper.
1957 Queen Elizabeth II in Times 15 Oct. 10/6 Prairie farmers have for some time been faced with a serious shortage of funds to meet their immediate needs.
1985 Washington Post 16 June g7/2 We find ourselves faced with another etiquette dilemma.
2003 P. Todd & J. Bloch Global Issues ii. 62 With the ending of the Cold War, intelligence agencies..were faced with the prospect of radical downsizing.
5. transitive. To look seriously and steadily at, not shrink from (an issue, idea, unpleasant fact, etc.); to come to terms with, to deal with or accept (a difficult situation). See also to face (the) facts, let us (also let's) face it at Phrases 1h, to face up to at Phrases 1i.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > look steadily at
face1795
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > [verb (transitive)] > face
reface1635
face1795
the mind > emotion > courage > moral courage > one who braves danger > defy danger (person or thing) [verb] > meet with a steady gaze
to look (a person, etc.) in the face1573
face1795
1795 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) IV. 116 My own quiet required that I should face it [sc. the idea] and examine it.
1828 I. D'Israeli Comm. Life Charles I II. v. 104 A lawyer in the habit of facing a question but on one side, can rarely be a philosopher, who looks on both.
1873 Brit. Q. Rev. 57 79 We must face..the reality of our own ego-hood.
1883 S. S. Lloyd in North Star 25 Oct. 3/7 The need for external supplies of food..must be faced.
1928 P. G. Wodehouse Money for Nothing v. 83 John—she had to face it—was a jellyfish.
1982 F. Osofisan Once upon Four Robbers (ed. 2) 7 i. 4 Face the truth man! Ever since this new decree on armed robbery, we've been finished!
1999 What Investm. Mar. 69/1 Workers who used to take it for granted that their jobs were for life are now having to face the possibility of a lifetime's redundancy instead.
6.
a. intransitive. Sport. Now usually with off. To reintroduce a ball or puck into play after a stoppage, by any one of a number of different methods; (Ice Hockey) to start or restart play by dropping or throwing the puck between the sticks of two opposing players. Also transitive. Cf. face-off n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > lacrosse > play lacrosse [verb (intransitive)] > start game
face1867
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > winter sports > ice hockey > engage in ice hockey [verb (transitive)] > place puck to (re)start play
face1897
1867 Laws of La Crosse 6 Should the ball lodge in any spot inaccessible to the ‘crosse’ it may be taken out by the hand and immediately placed on the ‘crosse’, but should an opponent be checking and cry ‘face’, it must be faced for.
1882 Rules of Lacrosse 15 Should the ball lodge in any place inaccessible to the crosse, it may be taken out by the hand; and the party picking it up must ‘face’ with his nearest opponent.
1897 Medicine Hat (Alberta) News 25 Feb. 1/6 Ben Niblock scored the first goal for Medicine Hat a few seconds after the puck was faced.
1935 O.H.A. Rules 66 No other player on either side may be within ten feet of the players who are facing off.
1958 Vancouver Province 12 May 11/5 Reeve John Stolberg faced off the ball.
1979 Washington Post (Nexis) 18 May d1 Ron Duguay, facing off with Montreal's Doug Jarvis in the right-wing circle at the Canadien end, whacked the puck toward the left-wing boards.
2002 D. M. Fisher Lacrosse iv. 206 The two women, wearing men's lacrosse gear except for helmets, were about to face off the ball.
b. intransitive. Chiefly North American. With off. To engage in a direct confrontation or contest. Cf. face-off n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > contend [verb (intransitive)] > engage in hostile encounter
counter1330
encounter1555
to come to grips1640
to come to gripesa1645
buckle?1650
to lock horns (also antlers)1850
face1922
1922 Boston Globe 21 Dec. 8/1 The Pittsburg team faces off against the Victorias at the Arena.
1965 C. O. Jones Republican Party in Amer. Politics iv. 76 The two candidates faced off..before a television audience estimated at over 65 million.
1993 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 4 Jan. b5/1 The two national brewers faced off in court on several occasions.
2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 8 Oct. i. 25/1 Gov. Rick Perry and three challengers faced off in a Dallas television studio.
II. To put a face or facing upon.
7. † b. transitive. figurative and in extended use. To dress up (something) with some addition to make it more appealing; to trim, adorn, deck, furnish. Obsolete.† c. intransitive. To trim a garment, etc., with another material. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To cover a breadth or part of (a garment, etc.) with another material; to provide with a facing or facings; to trim, turn up. Formerly also with about, down.†In quot. 1592 (in passive) said of the wearer of a faced garment (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > face with other material
reversec1390
facec1525
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > face with other material > have garment faced
facec1525
c1525 Inventory in J. Nichols Illustr. Manners & Expences Antient Times Eng. (1797) 124 [A gown] of violet furrys with blak lawne, and faced with bugge.
1535 J. Husee Let. 27 Jan. in Lisle Papers (P.R.O.: SP 3/12) f. 105 I Intende to macke him..a nywe gowne of damacske faced with foynes or genettes.
1592 R. Greene 2nd Pt. Conny-catching (new ed.) sig. A4 The Priest was facst afore with Veluet.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 575 They..face about the collers of men and Womens garments.
1679 London Gaz. No. 1378/4 A black hair Camlet Gown..faced down before, and on the Cape with Velvet.
1715 R. Thoresby Ducatus Leodiensis 474 A Gantlet faced with Velvet... It is more pliable..than a Leather Glove.
1759 Compl. Let.-writer (ed. 6) 229 Blue cloth, trimmed and faced with white.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian ix, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 228 The five Lords of Justiciary, in their long robes of scarlet, faced with white.
1855 W. Sargent Braddock's Exped. 291 The uniform of the 44th was red faced with yellow.
1925 Woman's World (Chicago) Apr. 37/2 The collar and belt are faced with the cretonne.
1992 S. Holloway Courage High! viii. 70/2 A..stand-up collar which was rounded off at the front and faced with scarlet cloth.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautify [verb (transitive)] > ornament > trim or deck out
perfurnish1375
enflourish?a1400
varnish14..
perform1420
to pick outc1429
polish?1440
trimc1516
to set out1523
trick?1532
face1542
trick1545
prank1546
tricka1555
bawdefy1562
tickle1567
prink1573
finify1586
deck1587
decore1603
betrima1616
fangle1615
beprank1648
prim1688
to garnish outa1704
decorate1782
to do off1794
dizen1807
tricolatea1825
fal-lal1845
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes ii. f. 225 Our state of reignynge, or beeyng kynges, is a seruitude faced or set out with dignitee and woorshyppe.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 v. i. 74 To face the garment of rebellion With some fine colour. View more context for this quotation
1631 B. Jonson New Inne i. iv. 14 An Host..who is..at the best, some round growne thing! a Iug Fac'd, with a beard, that fills out to the ghests.
1645 J. Milton Colasterion 4 I saw the stuff..garnisht and trimly fac't with the commendations of a Licencer.
1685 J. Dryden Albion & Albanius iii. 21 Rebellion..fac'd with publick good?
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (intransitive)] > carry out specific processes
shape?c1225
face?1577
bushel1877
overtrim1893
to piece down1903
pin-fit1926
?1577 F. T. Debate Pride & Lowlines sig. Bv Silke and lase..To welt, to edge, to garde, to stitche and face.
8.
a. transitive. Usually in passive. To cover the surface or face of (a structure, object, building) either wholly or partially with some specified material.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > coating or covering with a layer > coat or cover with a layer [verb (transitive)]
lay?a1366
overlaya1400
coverc1400
sheeta1616
glidder1631
candy1639
face1648
to do over1700
coat1753
candify1777
bed1839
to lay down1839
overcoat1861
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. xviii. 128 Cabinets faced with gold and silver.
1670 C. Cotton tr. G. Girard Hist. Life Duke of Espernon ii. viii. 349 The Terrass was not yet fac'd with stone.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 57 Delve of convenient Depth your thrashing Floor; With temper'd Clay, then fill and face it o're. View more context for this quotation
1715 J. T. Desaguliers tr. N. Gauger Fires Improv'd 112 If you face the sides of the Chimney with thin Copper.
1790 W. Dyde Hist. & Antiq. Tewkesbury v. 18 A large vestry..which has a strong iron door faced with wood.
1803 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 93 85 The same bar was melted again, and was cast in sand, faced..by charcoal dust.
1856 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 17 ii. 363 The more modern fence..is faced with stones.
1919 E. S. Fraser & R. B. Jones Motor Vehicles xxii. 235 Cone clutches are usually faced with leather.
1990 H. Thurston Tidal Life 84/1 Around this core, they compacted marsh mud, then faced it with uniform sod bricks.
2007 Irish Times 24 Jan. (Commercial Property section) 1 There is hardly any surface left plain, as those areas not faced with marble are either painted or carved.
b. transitive. To dress or smooth the face or surface of. Also with down, up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > flatness or levelness > smoothness > make smooth [verb (transitive)] > the face of something
face1832
1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. (ed. 3) xix. 172 Another [lathe]..is kept for facing surfaces.
1873 H. B. Tristram Land of Moab vi. 111 Blocks of basalt..some of them finely faced.
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 221/2 The body is carefully faced down till a fine even surface is produced.
1883 Specif. Alnwick & Cornhill Railway 10 All bolt-holes to have bosses cast on them, which are to be faced up.
1889 P. N. Hasluck Model Engineer's Handybk. x. 113 If all the flange joints are faced up absolutely true.
1958 People (Broadway, New S. Wales) 19 Mar. 54 Primitive grinding or cutting machines to ‘face up’ their specimens.
1992 R. Rosenzweig & E. Blackmar Park & People vi. 168 Division engineers..dispatched orders to the stoneyards on the park's edge where stonecutters faced the stones used on foundations and bridges.
9. transitive. To coat (tea) with some colouring substance. Also with up. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1844 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 31 Aug. 143/2 A great variety of other samples of teas were submitted to examination; but in all cases they were found to be faced with various substances.
1850 Househ. Words 2 277 The tea-leaf..is ‘faced’ by the French chalk, to give it the pearly appearance so much liked.
1869 E. A. Parkes Man. Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 277 The green tea is either natural or coloured (faced) with indigo [etc.].
1888 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 101/1 Exhausted leaves were..faced up to do duty as fresh tea.
1924 Agric. Appropriation Bill, 1926 (Hearings before U.S. House Appropriations Comm.) 279 There have been reports from England that tea was faced with some arsenic preparations to give it color, but we have found nothing of that character.
1953 Food, Drug, Cosmetic Law Jrnl. 8 93 Many small retailers found themselves faced with unanswerable charges in respect of..tea faced with Prussian blue.
10. transitive. To deface, disfigure, spoil in appearance; perhaps short for deface n. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > efface, obliterate [verb (transitive)]
dilghec897
scrape1303
washc1380
fade1398
razea1425
out-razec1425
racec1450
enrasea1492
stramp1535
wipe1535
facec1540
cancel1559
outblot1573
to wash out1580
to blur out1581
obliterate1607
efface1611
dislimna1616
excerebrate1621
demark1655
rufflea1680
erase1695
scrub1828
overscore1834
elide1846
trash1859
to wipe (off) the slate1921
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 9129 Polexena..All facid hir face with hir fell teris.
IV. To have the face in a particular direction.
11.
a. transitive. Of a person or animal: to present the face or front towards; to look towards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > direct [verb (transitive)] > face a direction
front1523
prospect1555
face1567
behold1593
head1610
frontage1914
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) viii. f. 108 The lewd Thessalian facing him sayd: Take thou heere too thee The guerdon of thy godlynesse.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. viii. 364 Facing the in-land wee marched for three dayss.
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 12. ⁋15 Stand facing the light, that we may see you.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth III. 216 He continues to combat..still facing the enemy till he dies.
1817 Q. Jrnl. Sci. & Arts Jan. 411 When he faced the light..the contraction of the pupil..occasioned a still greater diminution of vision.
1886 M. F. Sheldon tr. G. Flaubert Salammbô 22 Neighing shrilly as they faced the rising sun.
1958 A. Buckeridge Jennings's Little Hut 140 He paced out the twelve steps and turned to face the batsman.
2002 G. Duncan I, Lucifer (2003) 124 She pushed the wheelie chair away from her desk and swivelled on it to face me.
b. transitive. Of a thing: to be situated opposite to, have the front towards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite (something) [verb (transitive)] > face (of things)
face1567
affront1575
frontier1579
regard1585
front1609
confront1610
to stand to ——1632
outfront1883
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xiii. f. 169 Ageinst the southcoast [of Sicily] Lilibye dooth face the gentle west.
1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. ii. 72 He gain'd..that part of Britain which faces Ireland.
1718 J. Addison Remarks Italy (ed. 2) 266 The Side of the Palatine Mountain that faces it.
1748 J. Hervey Refl. Flower-garden in Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 4) I. 213 Yonder Tree, that faces the South, has something too remarkable, to pass without Observation.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. vii. 55 A series of vertical walls..face the observer.
1885 Manch. Examiner 10 June 8/7 The statue..faces the principal entrance to the museum.
1916 F. Rider N.Y. City 438 Facing the abandoned cathedral..is the recently finished Queen of All Saints' Chapel.
1998 D. Whyte Scotl. viii. 172 The 600ft..cliffs facing the sea are inhabited by vast colonies of breeding auks, gannets and gulls.
c. transitive. Of an illustration, text, etc.: to be placed on the opposite page to.
ΚΠ
1711 Catal. Maps in E. Wells Hist. Geogr. New Test. I. (direction to bookbinder) A Map of the Situation of the Garden of Eden; as also of Mount Ararat: To be placed facing—page 1.
1766 Gentleman's Mag. 36 (Directions for placing the plates) The Emblematical Design..to face p. 8.
1850 Evangelical Christendom 4 48/2 He intends to bind up his work with a Hebrew page facing his Spanish page, to enable every one to examine his translation by comparing it with the original text.
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 19 Feb. 5/9 An increased price is paid for advertisements ‘facing matter’.
1925 Burlington Mag. Aug. 110/1 On a page facing the beginning of Chapter 1 of this book are printed six reasons ‘why one should collect Old Spode’.
1993 M. J. Hamilton Guide Preserv. in Acquisition Processing iii. 9 This [test for brittle paper] should not be done on a plate, an illustration, [or] a page facing an illustration.
12.
a. intransitive. Of a person or animal: to present the face or front in a particular direction; to look to or towards something (literally or figuratively).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > have specific aspect > of people or animals
face?1574
assistc1600
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > be attentive, pay attention to [verb (intransitive)]
lookeOE
reckOE
heedOE
turna1200
beseec1200
yeme?c1225
to care forc1230
hearkenc1230
tendc1330
tentc1330
hangc1340
rewarda1382
behold1382
convert1413
advertc1425
lotec1425
resortc1450
advertise1477
mark1526
regard1526
pass1548
anchor1557
eye1592
attend1678
mind1768
face1863
?1574 T. Hill Contempl. Myst. f. 63v The person stricken..with the lightning, doth after turne the head and face towarde the stroke.
1594 W. S. in C. M. Ingleby & L. T. Smith Shakespeare's Cent. Prayse (1879) 9 I know thy griefe, And face from whence these flames aryse.
1672 J. Dryden Conquest Granada i. i. i. 2 He [sc. the courser] sidelong bore his Rider on, Still facing, till he out of sight was gone.
1789 W. Coxe Trav. Switzerland III. 23 The latter [sc. young marmots]..sit on their hind feet, and remain in that posture, facing towards the sun.
1846 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 II. vii. 266 The 1st of the 20th, with one company of the 24th, were posted on the larger eminence, facing east and south.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. xxiv. 411 He steadfastly faced towards peace.
1882 B. A. Hinsdale Garfield & Educ. i. 117 He faced to law and politics, to science and to literature.
1922 D. H. Lawrence England my England 109 She faced up at the truck where the two men stood up in the wind.
1952 T. Armstrong Adam Brunskill viii. 267 Facing westwards, their glances intent, Adam and Wingy scanned the scene of desolation.
2005 Sunday Tasmanian (Nexis) 18 Dec. 66 If you face south on a nice clear night and watch the apparent motions of the stars, you will notice this..circular movement.
b. intransitive. Of a thing: to have, or be situated with, the face or front in a specified direction; to front. Frequently followed by on, to, towards, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > have specific aspect
beholda1382
look?1440
stand?1473
turn1535
prospect1555
spect1585
face1638
point1859
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite [verb (intransitive)] > face
butt?c1550
face1638
1638 S. Foster Art of Dialling xi. 23 If this plaine [on which a dial stands] had faced toward the East, the line of 12 must have stood on the left hand.
1679 E. Settle Londons Defiance to Rome 3 Four stately Statues,..those of King Charles the First..and our present Gracious Sovereign..facing towards Westminster.
1746 C. Smith Antient & Present State Waterford v. 167 The city wall..ran parallel to the river, so that the city faced towards the north and the east.
1776 W. Withering Bot. Arrangem. Veg. Great Brit. II. 717 Targets on the edge, facing downwards.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond I. iii. 75 The little chapel that faced eastwards.
1884 Times (Weekly ed.) 29 Aug. 14/2 The village faces full to the south.
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 22 Aug. 11/2 The really picturesque side of the hall, facing on a lovely lake.
1961 Architect & Building News 21 June 822/1 The building has massive load-bearing walls facing on to the Fellows' Garden.
1991 G. Ehrlich Islands, Universe, Home ii. 14 Our ranch faces south down a long treeless valley.
13. † b. intransitive. In sense of to face about (see 13a). Also transitive (reflexive). Obsolete.
a. intransitive. Originally and chiefly Military. To turn the face or body in a stated direction (as left, right, etc.); frequently in commands. Also in extended use, in non-military contexts. See also to face about at Phrases 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > turn round or to face a direction
turnc1330
convertc1384
to bear one's (also the, a) face (also head)c1400
beturn1594
swerve1607
face1623
orientate1848
to front about1886
orient1896
1623 J. Bingham tr. Xenophon Hist. iv. 66 Xenophon..directed his Captaines euery one to order his Companie..to face to the left hand.
a1640 P. Massinger & J. Fletcher Very Woman iii. i. 110 in P. Massinger 3 New Playes (1655) Let fall your cloak on one shoulder; face to your left hand.
1710 London Gaz. No. 4675/1 He commanded them to face to the Left, in order to flank the Enemy.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 109. ⁋1 The Knight faced towards one of the Pictures.
1826 W. Scott Woodstock I. i. 12 The minister..faced round upon the party who had seized him.
1841 C. J. Lever Charles O'Malley lxxxviii Left face—wheel—quick march!
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 261 On which the Captain is to face inwards, and the Lieutenant and Ensign face to the right.
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (ed. 8) 19 Right or left about three-quarters face.
1918 E. S. Farrow Dict. Mil. Terms 1 About Face, one of the facings in the school of the soldier, executed by facing to the rear.
1999 J. Lethem Motherless Brooklyn 186 Hands on the wheel and the dash, that's good. Face forward, gentlemen.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > direction > point or lie in a direction [verb (intransitive)] > turn round or to face a direction > turn to opposite direction
turnc1225
bewenda1300
to turn aboutc1330
returna1470
wheel1639
face1644
to turn on one's heel1669
to turn around1756
to turn round1787
about-face1896
about-turn1927
U-turn1931
U1971
the world > space > direction > direct [verb (reflexive)] > turn to face a direction > to opposite direction
to turn aboutc1330
face1824
1644 H. Slingsby Diary (1836) 112 Upon ye top of ye Hill they [sc. the Scots] face and front towards ye prince.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 4 June (1972) VII. 148 The Duch did fly. But all this day they have been fighting; therefore, they did face again, to be sure.
1691 London Gaz. No. 2662/3 Upon their approach our men faced, and about 20 fired.
1824 S. E. Ferrier Inheritance I. vi. 57 Having got to the top..he faced him.
14. To attract or direct the face of.
a. transitive. To turn (a person) so as to face or look in a specified direction (also figurative).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > take notice of, heed [verb (transitive)] > direct attention, thought, etc.
lookeOE
i-thenchec897
to look to ——OE
send?c1420
to look upon ——c1515
to look unto ——1526
face1630
turn1842
1630 H. Lord Display Two Forraigne Sects 72 Certaine mimicall gestures, so as may most face the people to gaze upon them.
1667 E. Waterhouse Short Narr. Fire London 181 The Judgments of God face us to humilitie.
1710 J. Addison et al. Tatlers I. 88 I was carried to a Bed-Side, where a fine young Lady..had like to have hugged me to Death. From her they fac'd me about.
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (ed. 8) 31 The remaining companies first being faced to the right about.
1942 R. Ingersoll Action on All Fronts xxiv. 302 Without more ado one of my hosts put his hands on my shoulders and faced me around.
2003 L. M. Rio & T. M. Rio Anorexia Diaries 106 She took me into the bathroom and faced me towards the full-length mirror.
b. transitive. Military. To cause (soldiers) to face, or present the front. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (ed. 8) 30 The company..will be faced, and countermarched.
15.
a. transitive. To turn (a playing card) face up.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics
to hold up?1499
decardc1555
to turn up1580
discard1591
pulla1625
to sit out1659
face1674
to make out1680
to lay out1687
to throw away1707
lead1739
weaken1742
carry1744
to take in1744
force1746
to show down1768
throw1866
blank1884
block1884
cover1885
unblock1885
pitch1890
1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester xvi. 135 He claps these Cards fac'd at the bottom.
1706 S. Centlivre Basset-table iv. 51 Fac't agen;—what's the meaning of this Ill-luck to Night?
1742 E. Hoyle Short Treat. Game Whist 10 If a Card is faced in the Pack, they must deal again, except it is the last Card.
1878 H. H. Gibbs Game of Ombre (ed. 2) 19 He places the cards before him, taking care not to face or show any of them.
1983 N.Y. Times 14 Aug. ii. 26/5 He faced his cards and claimed the doubled game.
b. transitive. In post office sorting: to turn (letters) with their faces in one direction.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > correspondence > postal services > [verb (transitive)] > turn letters in one direction
face1789
1789 T. Leach Cases Crown Law 82 It appeared that the prisoner must have got possession of it while he was facing the letters, and before it had reached the hands of the proper officer to stamp it as a letter ‘post paid’.
1850 Q. Rev. June 75 The object..is merely to ‘face’ the stamped and paid letters all the same way.
1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 15 Oct. 7/1 All the letters have been faced, sorted, and stamped.
1900 Times 7 Nov. 7 At the end of his day's work he returned to the office and helped to ‘face’ the letters for stamping.
1970 Brandon (Manitoba) Sun 21 Nov. 5/1 Only in recent years have machines been developed to do this facing job... It is self-evident that the cancelling machine would be combined with the new one that faced letters.
2005 K. Ascher The Works: Anat. of City iv. xii. 139 Letters proceed to the ‘advanced facer-canceling machine’, which faces all the letters in one direction, seeks out the stamps, and cancels them.
Phrases
P1. In senses relating to boldness, opposition, or defiance (see branch I.).† c. to face (a person) with a lie: to lie to boldly, to tell a manifest untruth to. Hence to face a lie (upon): to tell a lie (to). Obsolete. † j. to face with a card of ten: see card n.2 Phrases 1. Obsolete.
a. to face down (also out): to put down, overcome (a person) by a show of determination, or by browbeating; to dispute (a statement, argument) with boldness or effrontery. Cf. outface v. 1.Formerly also with sentence as object: †to maintain or insist to a person's face that (something is the case) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > insistence or persistence > insist or persist [verb (transitive)]
to countenance outa1529
to face down (also out)1530
to stand to ——1551
to stand upon it1590
to stand in ——1594
to stand out1653
to stick out1885
sledgehammer1976
the mind > emotion > pride > impudence > treat impudently [verb (transitive)] > oppose or confront impudently
face1465
overfacec1475
outface?1499
to face down (also out)1530
out-countenancec1585
outstare1596
outlook1599
nose1632
to stare down1798
out-breast1839
the mind > emotion > fear > quality of inspiring fear > quality of being intimidating > intimidate or bully [verb (transitive)] > contradict with intimidation
overfacec1475
to face down (also out)1530
downface1762
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 542/2 I face one downe in a mater.
1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. iv. xxii. f. cclxii He..scoffeth that I face out the trouth with lyes.
1580 T. Lupton Siuqila 44 And so faced out thy poore Father before our face.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iii. i. 6 Here's a villaine that would face me downe He met me on the Mart. View more context for this quotation
1706 S. Centlivre Love at Venture ii. 19 This is a Master-piece of Art, to face down two Women at once.
1787 Wesley Jrnl. 7 Oct. in Wks. (1872) IV. 401 The clerk faced me down I had taken the coach for Sunday.
1860 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) VI. 100 With Paget's help she faced down these objections.
1955 Carleton Drama Rev. 1 ii. 44 In the case of the Andalusian man the greatest value is bravery... To allow himself to be faced down means simply that he is not a complete man.
2007 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 8 Apr. c3 Grace McPherson..faced down the objections of Sir Sam Hughes..and told him, ‘I've come from Canada to drive an ambulance.’
b. †to face (a person) out of: to exclude shamelessly from; to bully out of. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > drive mad [verb (transitive)]
turn1372
mada1425
overthrow?a1425
to go (also fall, run) mada1450
deferc1480
craze1503
to face (a person) out ofc1530
dement1545
distemper1581
shake1594
distract1600
to go (also run, set) a-madding (or on madding)1600
unwita1616
insaniate?1623
embedlama1628
dementate1628
crack1631
unreason1643
bemad1655
ecstasya1657
overset1695
madden1720
maddle1775
insanify1809
derange1825
bemoon1866
send (someone) up the wall1951
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)]
exclude1382
to face (a person) out ofc1530
repulse1548
seclude1581
excommune1650
to peg out1672
to include out1934
c1530 T. More Let. Impugnynge J. Fryth iv, in Wks. 1132/2 Your false heresy, wherwith you would face our Sauiour out of the blessed sacrament.
1558 Speciall Grace after Banket at Yorke sig. avii Their Pope..had sent hither his Bulles,..and yet little restored (bicause the world in deed would not so be faced out of their liuelod).
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iv. ii. 95 They..doe all they can to face me out of my wits. View more context for this quotation
1678 T. Porter French Conjurer iv. 25 Do you intend to face me out of my senses?
1708 W. Taverner Maid the Mistress v. 56 I don't doubt but you have Assurance enough to face me out of an Acquaintance, as impudently as this Person has fac'd me into one.
1786 Relig. Lawyer iv. 56 Does church and physic raise a quibble, And come here to face me out o' the devil?
1884 Ld. Tennyson Becket ii. ii. 107 A trick Whereby to challenge, face me out of all My regal rights.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lie, tell (lies) [verb (transitive)]
lie1377
forgec1386
to belie the truthc1400
tellc1400
to tell (formerly to make) a liec1400
sayc1460
to face (a person) with a lie1530
cog1570
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 542/2 Yet he wolde face me with a lye.
1533 T. More Answere Poysened Bk. iv. xxii. f. cclxii He..faceth hymselfe the lye vppon me.
?1544 J. Heywood Foure PP sig. E.2 But hys boldnes hath faced a lye.
1660 R. Howard Blind Lady iv. ii, in Poems 102 Tis true, dear Sir, I will not face a lye: Our acts have given me both amaze and trouble.
1668 J. Dryden Sr Martin Mar-all iv. 50 I'le not be fac'd down with a Lye.
1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther iii. 82 Bare lyes with bold assertions they can face.
d. to face it out, (also) to face out (a matter, etc.): to carry through by effrontery, brazen out.
ΚΠ
1534 U. von Hutten in tr. L. Valla Treat. Donation Syluester Pref. sig. C Those false popes..sayeng and also facyng it out, that he [sc. Constantine] hath gyuen and graunted to them thempire of the West parte of the worlde.
1579 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 73 To..face it oute lustelye as sum other good fellowes doe.
a1620 M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) i. xii. §2. 125 Obluctation, and facing out of the matter.
1702 S. Centlivre Beau's Duel iii. 33 Ha! my Father, what shall I say,—I'll e'en face it out since he has catc'd me.
1810 G. Crabbe Borough xxii. 303 ‘What said the Jury?’—they were long in doubt, But sturdy Peter faced the matter out.
1876 G. O. Trevelyan Life & Lett. Macaulay (1876) I. i. 15 Unless they could make up their minds..to face it out.
1923 C. Morley Where Blue Begins v. 52 She was wondering now how she could face it out with Mrs. Chow and Mrs. Fox-Terrier and the other neighbours.
1970 Analysis 30 154 The son-in-law is going to try to ‘face it out’ even though he has been caught.
2007 Yorks. Post (Nexis) 8 June [He] tried to ‘face it out’, only admitting causing death by dangerous driving.
e. to face (a person) with: to put before the face of; to confront with (literally or figuratively). Frequently in passive, as to be faced with: to be confronted by.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite (something) [verb (transitive)] > place facing
address1483
to face (a person) with1583
front1617
confront1627
the world > space > relative position > opposite position > be opposite (something) [verb (transitive)] > be face to face with
confrontc1568
front1582
to face (a person) with1583
face1632
over-front1644
the world > action or operation > difficulty > of difficulty: beset (a person) [verb (transitive)] > confront (a difficulty)
breast1847
confront1863
to face up to1888
to be faced with1991
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xviii. 109 It was Gods wil to humble his..people by facing them with the temple of a cursed idoll.
1852 Bentley's Misc. 31 363 He had not the courage to face Talleyrand with the truth, and so he flung himself into the Seine.
1862 Duffy's Hibernian Mag. June 561 A weight's rolled off my shoulders, for I feared to face you with the truth.
1988 A. Lawson Adultery viii. 241 Perhaps he wanted to avoid confrontation; his final departure certainly suggests he was not able to face her with the truth.
1991 N. Rush Mating iv. 241 Her..inner chaos and loss of control when she was faced with something to eat.
f. to face out of countenance: to disconcert, embarrass, confound; = to put out of countenance at countenance n.1 6b. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1853 W. G. Simms Sword & Distaff lviii. 502 I faced him [sc. the Sheriff] out of countenance with my unmuzzled bull dogs.
1854 Punch 27 May 222/1 Is he to be faced out of countenance by a young whipper-snapper?
1937 H. E. Fosdick Successful Christian Living 170 Faced out of countenance..by the immediacies of this troubled time.
g. to face the music: to accept or confront the inevitable, or the unpleasant consequences of one's actions. [Origin uncertain and disputed: suggestions include reference to a nervous performer coming onstage in musical theatre, or to the practice of drumming a soldier out of his regiment (see drum v.1 4b), or to various military uses of music n. (as e.g. senses 5 and 8c at that entry).]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > moral courage > one who braves danger > defy danger (person or thing) [verb] > face boldly the consequences of one's actions
to face the music1834
1834 New Hampsh. Statesman & State Jrnl. 2 Aug. 3/2 Will the editor of the Courier explain this black affair. We want no equivocation—‘face the music’ this time.
1850 Congress. Globe App. 4 Mar. 324/3 There should be no skulking or dodging..every man should ‘face the music’.
1897 C. Rhodes in Westm. Gaz. 6 Jan. 5/1 I will not refer to the vulgar colloquialism that I was afraid to face the music.
1920 R. Macaulay Potterism iii. viii. 140 If Gideon didn't shove him, he's nothing to be afraid of in our talk, and if he did he'll have to face the music.
2008 Florida Times-Union (Nexis) 6 Feb. b1 Hudgins and Smith must face the music—and it won't be the Star-Spangled Banner—before a county magistrate.
h. to face (the) facts: to confront and accept reality, not shrink from some (esp. unwelcome) truth. Also (colloquial) let us (also let's) face it: ‘we must recognize an unwelcome fact’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > be resolute or determined [verb (intransitive)] > face the facts
to face (the) facts1824
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > [phrase] > face facts
let us (also let's) face it1911
1824 J. Taylor in Monthly Rev. 103 175 Let us boldly face the facts; our country is nearly ruined.
1854 Christian Examiner & Relig. Misc. May 328 But face the facts as they really are. No two pulpits accord in all their teachings from the same book.
1911 G. B. Shaw Getting Married in Doctor's Dilemma 249 You'll want half a dozen different sorts of contract. The Bishop: Well, if so, let us draw them all up. Let us face it.
1937 W. S. Maugham Theatre xxi. 203 But let's face it, I've never been in love with you any more than you've been in love with me.
1952 Good Housek. (U.S. ed.) Dec. 212/3 I have faced facts. I think you'd better face them also.
2005 Cosmopolitan Aug. 106/1 Stars. They're rich, they're gorgeous, but let's face it—their relationship skills suck.
i. to face up to: to show a bold face to, confront, oppose (a person or thing); (figurative) to confront and accept, not shrink from (some unwelcome fact, task, problem, etc.).In Boxing: to face an opponent in an approved manner (see quot. 1954).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > of difficulty: beset (a person) [verb (transitive)] > confront (a difficulty)
breast1847
confront1863
to face up to1888
to be faced with1991
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier ii. 217 He faces up to us, fires but one Volley of his small Shot, and fell to battering us with the Stocks of their Musquets.
1888 J. Harrison Scot in Ulster iv. 48 Always facing up to the savage realities of life, these Scots of Ulster are in character..akin to our common forefathers of the seventeenth century.
1906 Times 29 Dec. 14 The [sc. grammar school boys] are reasonable..when they have to face up to punishment.
1935 Punch 4 Sept. 260/2 It was our duty as guardians of the children to face up to the situation.
1954 F. C. Avis Boxing Ref. Dict. Face up, to square up in the approved way to an opponent.
2004 Independent 30 July 33/5 [They] will..have to face up to the fact that their children have been turned into killers.
P2. to face about (also to face right about and variants): to turn the face in the opposite direction (also figurative). Hence (Military) as imperative: right (also left) about face! Cf. about-face v. 1; right-about face adv. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > change of opinion > change one's mind [phrase]
to pick (also peck) mooda1225
to turn, wend the luff?c1225
to sing another song or a different tune1390
to waive (one's) wit1390
to change one's minda1500
to change (turn, alter) one's copy1523
to turn (one's) tippet1546
to change one's note1560
to shift hands1611
to face about1645
to change (swap) horses in midstream (while crossing a stream)1864
to sing another tune1890
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)] > desert one's party or principles
declinec1374
starta1450
revert?a1525
to fall away1535
to turn (one's) tippet1546
revolt1549
shrink1553
to turn one's coat1565
to come over1576
apostate1596
to change (one's) sides1596
defect1596
renegade1611
to change foot1618
to run over1643
to face about1645
apostatize1648
tergiverse1675
tergiversate1678
desert1689
apostasize1696
renegado1731
rat1810
to cross the floor1822
turncoat1892
to take (the) soup1907
turn1977
1645 Liberty of Consc. 28 In this Sir you have faced about, sure you are not As you were.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 217 He faces about therefore, and..for Scotland he goes.
a1671 T. Fairfax Short Mem. (1699) 51 He..made them face about, and march again into the Town.
1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. Authors Way sig. A8 His Spirit was so stout No Man could ever make him face about . View more context for this quotation
1713 R. Steele Englishman No. 55. 353 This elevated Machine..moved through..Cornhil: whence it faced about.
1787 Columbian Mag. 1 47 To the right about face! Forward march! Halt, and face to the Front!
1820 J. Keats Cap & Bells xxxvi. 1 Then facing right about, he saw the Page.
1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto VIII xxviii. 125 The rest had faced unto the right About.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea II. App. iv. 558 These men had faced about to the front.
1874 H. James Let. 9 Jan. (1974) I. 424 I was on the point of sending it to Scribner, but your words in deprecation of this course made me face about.
1922 J. Joyce Ulysses 81 He saw the priest bend down and kiss the altar and then face about and bless all the people.
1996 S. W. Sears Chancellorsville xiv. 372 The troops best positioned to face about to meet this new crisis were Lafayette McLaw's three brigades.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.c1300
v.1440