set your face against
oppose or resist with determination
RELATED IDIOMS :
the acceptable face of
The tolerable or attractive manifestation or aspect of
1996 New York Review of Books : He presents himself as the acceptable face of gambling…the man who, almost single-handedly, has turned a huckster's paradise into a gangster-free zone.
a face as long as a fiddle
a dismal face
face the music
be confronted with the unpleasant consequences of your actions
get out of his face
stop harassing or annoying someone - North American informal
have the brass face to
have the effrontery to do something – dated
in your face
aggressively obvious
assertive – informal
1996 - Sunday Telegraph - The campaign reflects a growing trend of aggressive and in your face advertisement that is alarming many within the industry.
lose face
suffer a loss of respect
be humiliated
This expression was originally associated with China and was a translation of the Chinese idiom tiu lien.
make faces = pull faces
produce an expression on your face that shows dislike, disgust or some other negative emotion
or that is intended to be amusing.
not just a pretty face
intelligent as well as attractive
off your face
very drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs – informal
1998 - Times Magazine - I've been accused of being off my face many times but you just go, by osmosis, with the people that you're with.
put a brave face on something = put a bold face on something = put a good face on something
act as if something unpleasant or upsetting is not as bad as it really is
save face
retain respect
avoid humiliation
1994 - Thomas Boswell - Cracking Show - And Rose got to save face, at least in his own eyes, with one last brassy news conference.
save his face
enable someone to avoid humiliation
his face fits
someone has the necessary qualities for something
1992 - Looks - My face fits and I've got the job!
throw something back in his face
reject something in
set your face against :
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