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Glite Dictionary
face saver

face saver

5.8
Something that helps a person avoid embarrassment or loss of respect
  • noun
  • /ˈfeɪs ˌseɪvər/
  • Informal
translation icon : salvavidas
  • Providing an explanation was a face saver for him, helping to ease the tension in the room.

Examples

  • It acted as a face-saver for France as surely in 1935 as in 1919 when annexation was forbidden.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The teacher offered a face saver by allowing the students to redo their project for a higher grade.

  • His apology was a face saver after he accidentally insulted her in front of their friends.

Synonyms

face-saving
vsface saver
1 6.0

An action to help someone avoid embarrassment

is the noun form without hyphen used for the same purpose

Antonyms

to lose face
  • Informal
11 6.6

To feel embarrassed and seem less respected in front of other people

Surface Forms

face saver singular
face savers plural

Morphology

face + saver

The noun is directly and compositionally built from 'face' (reputation, prestige) + 'saver' (one/thing that saves), so its meaning — something that prevents loss of face or embarrassment — is inferable from the parts. This follows a transparent compounding pattern and parallels the widespread concept of 'saving face' in many languages, making it accessible to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Face saver comes from the idea of 'saving face': imagine someone holding a small shield to stop a blow to your face, so the saver protects your reputation. That's why it means 'something that helps someone avoid embarrassment or loss of reputation'.