dough-faced
1. Exceptionally pale in the face. She was pale as a ghost after that car nearly ran into her on the sidewalk. I've been dough-faced my whole life—I look sickly if I don't use a lot of blush and bronzer. David went home sick? I'm not surprised—he was looking awfully dough-faced today.
2. Cowardly. I'm not surprised that Tom didn't come to the rally—he's too dough-faced to defend his beliefs in public. You don't care if you all think I'm dough-faced. There's no way I'm getting into a fight with someone! He acts like a tough guy, but he's actually really dough-faced when it comes to needles. He had to get a tetanus shot at work once, and the nurse practically had to sit on him to administer it!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.