long face

A facial expression denoting sadness, disappointment, or dissatisfaction. Jill had such a long face yesterday after she learned that she failed her exam. Hey, kiddo, why the long face? Is something bothering you?

See also: face, long

long face

A facial expression showing sadness or disappointment, as in Greg's long face was a clear indication of his feelings. [Late 1700s]

See also: face, long

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a long face

If someone has a long face, they look very serious or unhappy. He came to me with a very long face and admitted there had been an error. There were some long faces in Paris that day. Astoundingly, an American had won the Tour de France. Note: You can also say that someone is long-faced. After a short ceremony we stood, long-faced, by the graveside.

See also: face, long

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

(pull, wear, etc.) a long ˈface

(have) a sad or disappointed expression: I asked him if he wanted to come out but he pulled a long face and said no. ♢ Why the long face?

See also: face, long

a long face, to wear/draw/pull

To look sad or dissatisfied. A common expression in the nineteenth century, it no doubt came from the elongated look resulting from the mouth being drawn down at the corners and the eyes downcast.