save face

S

save face

Meaning

• To be able to hide public disgrace by taking some action.
• To be able to correct an action that could have caused embarrassment.

Example Sentences

1. I managed to save face by being able to speak about the topic, the presentation that was made was really not good.
2. You can’t save face by showing up with a gift. You should do better by accepting your mistake and working on not making it again.
3. Saving face is not easy when the magnitude of the error is this big.
4. She managed to save face in front of the clients because her subordinate brought the product out in time.
5. The lawyer was not able to save face after his client made such an error at the hearing.
6. He lost his practicing licence after making such a grave error but is trying to save face by applying for it again.
7. His wife saved face even though he did not even attend the event by interacting with each guest personally.

Origin
The Chinese phrase ‘tiu lien’ is roughly translated as ‘lose face’ in English. It means to have to suffer public humiliation. The phrase ‘save face’ comes as an opposite to ‘losing face’ and was first used 1899 in the Harmsworth Magazine.