Keep a stiff upper lip means to stay brave, keep your feelings to yourself and not show fear or grief. The image is physical: when someone is about to cry, their lips tremble, and a stiff lip doesn't. The expression is often linked with British reserve: the British stiff upper lip is the habit of suffering in silence and not complaining.
When would you say keep a stiff upper lip?
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keep a stiff upper lip; the (British) stiff upper lip (noun); a stiff-upper-lip attitude
- When the factory closed, my father kept a stiff upper lip and started looking for work the next day.
- She kept a stiff upper lip during the interview, even though the questions were really tough.
- Not everyone admires the British stiff upper lip; some people prefer to talk openly about their worries.
What changed
First versionEven after the bad news, she held a stiff upper lip at work.
RevisionEven after the bad news, she kept a stiff upper lip at work.
When you mean staying strong or composed, hold can seem a natural verb, but this idiom only takes keep. Held was replaced with kept; the rest is correct.
The similar put on a brave face means acting cheerful in front of others, pretending everything is fine: She put on a brave face and smiled at the guests. A stiff upper lip involves less acting: the person isn't pretending to be cheerful, they simply don't show weakness or complain.
Your turn
My grandfather never complained or cried during his long illness; he always ___.
Show the answer
kept a stiff upper lip — Grandad didn't complain or cry, so he stayed strong and hid his feelings: kept a stiff upper lip. Wore his heart on his sleeve would mean the opposite: he openly showed everything he felt.
Write about someone who stayed strong in a difficult situation. Say what happened and how they behaved.
When my sister lost her job last spring, she kept a stiff upper lip and calmly updated her CV the same evening.
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