Idiom
save face
Meaning
To take an action or make a gesture intended to preserve one's reputation or honour.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He apologized to save face after his mistake.”
“She offered a polite excuse for her late arrival to save face in front of her boss.”
“The politician resigned quietly to save face, hoping to avoid a public scandal that would ruin his long career.”
Examples
simple
“He apologized to save face after his mistake.”
contextual
“She offered a polite excuse for her late arrival to save face in front of her boss.”
complex
“The politician resigned quietly to save face, hoping to avoid a public scandal that would ruin his long career.”
Origin
See lose face.
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated