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Face the Music

To confront the consequences of ones decisions and actions, or to accept the responsibility of one’s actions

Etymology:

  • This was a very common American saying in the mid 19th, which involves two theories of its origin. One suggests its coming from the world of theatre. A performer for his bad performance sometimes invited anger and hostility of the audience for which he faced harsh reaction and even the music of orchestra pit. The other theory suggests it might have come from the world of Army. Any soldier for doing something disgraceful was often terminated from the Army while band playing “Facing the music”.
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Eric is sure that he will have to face the music for the mistakes he made in the assignment.

Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'Face the Music':

face the musicTo accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.
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1 Comment
  • IzzyCohen
    I disagree with both etymologies presented in the Etymology section.

    The "music" in face the music may be from Yiddish maskone = inference, consequence from Hebrew MaSKaNaH מַסְקָנָה = conclusion, inference, deduction. However, based on the discussion of this idiom by Michael Quinion in his World Wide Words blog, it is more likely a reversal of the sounds in “exam(ination)”: eKSaM => MuSiC. 
    LikeReply8 months ago

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"Face the Music." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/face-the-music_44648>.

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