in your face

I

in your face

Meaning

• a bold, defiant or aggressive manner
• aggressive or confrontational
• direct and forceful
• shocking or annoying in a manner difficult to ignore
• provocative

Example Sentences

1. Unable to tolerate Jack’s in your face attitude anymore, his boss fired him from the job.
2. That was a very in your face advertisement they showed last night on TV which made some very bold statements.
3. Mark is just an in your face sort of a person and sometimes talks rough. He really means no harm.
4. “In your faces, kids” shouted the footballer to his opponents after having scored his third goal of the match.
5. It was going to be a high profile fight by the two boxers and was marked by in your face comments from either side before it began.
6. No one liked him because he was always in your face and seemed to be at war with the world.
7. Her performance yesterday at the dance show was very aggressive and in your face. Not many would have liked it.
8. His defiant and in your face nature was a result of his difficult childhood.

Origin
The phrase originated in the USA around the 1970s and most of the early uses related to confrontation in sports. The phrase became popular outside of sports around the 1980s.