Put on a brave face means to act as if you're fine and not show that you're hurt, scared or upset. The image is a mask: a person “puts on” a calm face even though they're worried inside. People say it about failure, illness, losing a job or a break-up.
When would you say put on a brave face?
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put on a brave face (for + person); put a brave face on it/something
- She put on a brave face at work, although her dog had died that morning.
- Dad put on a brave face for the kids when he lost his job.
- We lost the final, but the captain put a brave face on it in the interview.
What changed
First versionShe made a brave face, but I could see she was upset.
RevisionShe put on a brave face, but I could see she was upset.
Make may seem natural here, as in make a face. But in this idiom, the face is put on like a mask: put on a brave face. Only the verb was changed.
A brave face doesn't make a person brave. He was brave means he wasn't afraid. He put on a brave face means he was afraid or upset but didn't show it: He put on a brave face, but he was terrified before the operation. There's also a version with it: put a brave face on it.
Your turn
After she failed her driving test, she ___ and joked about it, but she cried at home.
Show the answer
put on a brave face — In front of everyone she joked, but at home she cried, so she was hiding how upset she was. The idiom needs the verb put on, because the face is “put on” like a mask. Native speakers don't say made a brave face.
Describe a situation when you or someone you know hid how upset they were. Say what happened and who they had to stay strong in front of.
When my sister didn't get into medical school, she put on a brave face in front of our parents.
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