face like a bag of spanners
- idiom
- /feɪs laɪk ə bæg əv ˈspænəz/
- Offensive
- Everyone said the mugshot made him look like he had a face like a bag of spanners.
Examples
-
She laughs about having a face like a bag of spanners in her childhood photos.
-
He has a real face like a bag of spanners!
-
After football practice, Tom had a face like a bag of spanners from all the knocks he took.
-
After the fight, his face like a bag of spanners was even worse.
-
Many people jokingly told him he has a face like a bag of spanners when they saw his latest selfie.
-
She often teased her brother about his face like a bag of spanners after he fell off his bike.
-
Despite his face like a bag of spanners, he had a great sense of humor that everyone loved.
Synonyms
A face so ugly that it shocks people
Looks very ugly and a little funny, especially in the face
A face that people think is very ugly
Something that looks very ugly and unpleasant
Antonyms
How Attractive
∞
1.0
680
1.0
50
2.5
866
1.0
- Offensive
171
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
face + like + a + bag + of + spanners
The simile pattern 'face like X' signals an insulting comparison, so a learner who knows 'face', 'like', 'bag' and 'spanner' can tell it’s a negative metaphor. However, the specific image 'bag of spanners' is culturally British and the link from a bag of tools to 'very unattractive' is indirect and not fully predictable, especially since 'spanner' may be unfamiliar to some learners.
Etymology
Face like a bag of spanners may come from the image of metal spanners thrown together in a bag, making a messy, twisted pile of odd shapes. That's why people use it to say someone's face is 'very unattractive'.