game face
15
6.5
- noun
- /ɡeɪm feɪs/
- Informal
:
cara de concentración
- It was softball season; when he tried to explain himself to Alison, she had her game face on.
- put your game face
- get your game face
- wear your game face
And when they're like, oh, I've seen them all and they're game face on.
- And when they're like, oh, I've seen them all and they're game face on.
- So putting on a game face might be a double edged sword.
- How do you put your game face on and deliver every day when there's a load of shit going on in the background in your life?
Examples
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One male "A" player reflecting on the levels of coed softball remarked, "People have different feelings based on the level of competition, and during the state tournament, we really put on our 'game faces.'"
Academic text (1993) -
By the way, good job keeping that game face last night.
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Time to put your game face on.
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Just get your game face on.
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Put your game face on.
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Time to put on our game faces.
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Keep your game face on for your father-in-law.
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"Keep your game face on, poker," raps Jackson.
Blog text (28) -
The master of international intrigue paused to put on his game face.
Fiction book (2002) -
Before the big match, Jenna put on her game face to show she was ready to compete.
Antonyms
How Focused
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a determined, focused expression before a challenge' is directly derivable from combining 'game' (competition/readiness) with 'face' (visible expression). This noun–noun composition follows a straightforward compositional pattern and maps onto common cross-linguistic concepts (putting on a serious/ready expression), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Game face comes from sports, where players would put on a serious look before a match and show their game face. That's why it now means 'ready and focused' before a challenge.