straight face

straight face
noun
a serious facial expression giving no evidence of interest or amusement (Freq. 2)
• Hypernyms: ↑facial expression, ↑facial gesture

* * *

noun
: a face giving no evidence of emotion and especially of merriment
• straight-faced \\ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷\ adjective

* * *

—straight-faced, adj. —straight-facedly /strayt"fay"sid lee, -fayst"lee/, adv.
a serious or impassive facial expression that conceals one's true feelings about something, esp. a desire to laugh.
[1890-95]

* * *

straight face phrase
if someone has a straight face, they look serious even though they are saying something funny or are in a funny situation
with a straight face:

He could never tell a joke with a straight face.

keep a straight face:

She couldn’t trust herself to keep a straight face.

Thesaurus: words used to describe facial expressionshyponym
Main entry: straight

* * *

straight face,
a face or expression that shows no emotion, humor, or thought: »

He kept a straight face while telling the joke.

* * *

noun, pl ⋯ faces [count]
: a face that shows no emotion and especially no amusement

She lied with a straight face.

It was hard to keep a straight face. [=to not laugh or smile]

The students quickly put on straight faces as the teacher walked into the room.

straight-faced /ˈstreıtˈfeıst/ adj

He told the story straight-faced. [=with a straight face]


Useful english dictionary. 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • straight face — If someone keeps a straight face, they remain serious and do not show emotion or amusement …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • straight face — straight′ face′ n. an impassive facial expression that conceals one s true feelings, esp. a desire to laugh • Etymology: 1890–95 straight′ faced′, adj. straight′ fac′ed•ly, adv …   From formal English to slang

  • straight face — n. a facial expression showing no amusement or other emotion straight faced adj …   English World dictionary

  • straight face — {n.} A face that is not laughing or smiling. * /Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face./ * /It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face./ * /When… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • straight face — {n.} A face that is not laughing or smiling. * /Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face./ * /It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face./ * /When… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • straight face — if someone has a straight face, they look serious even though they are saying something funny or are in a funny situation with a straight face: He could never tell a joke with a straight face. keep a straight face: She couldn t trust herself to… …   English dictionary

  • straight\ face — noun A face that is not laughing or smiling. Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face. It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face. When Bob fell into …   Словарь американских идиом

  • straight face — noun Date: 1853 a face giving no evidence of emotion and especially of merriment < lied with a straight face > • straight faced adjective • straight facedly adverb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • straight face —    If you keep a straight face, you look serious although you really want to laugh.     Our teacher was dressed so strangely that it was hard to keep a straight face! …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • straight face — /streɪt ˈfeɪs/ (say strayt fays) noun a deliberately serious expression, especially in an attempt to suppress laughter: * You mean a sheep butted you into the river? Mum was having difficulty keeping a straight face. –barney roberts, 1987.… …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”