Friday, April 29, 2005

Face the Music

Face the Music

This is an Americanism that is first attested to in 1850. The origin is unknown, but two explanations are generally proferred.

The first is that it derives from the stage. With the musicians in a pit before the stage, to face the music is to turn towards the audience.

The second is that it is military in origin, and refers to a ceremony where an officer is about to be cashiered is literally drummed out. This explanation seems to be a bit strained and it is also early for a military origin. Most military phrases come from the World Wars of the 20th century, and this one predates the Civil War. Military service was too rare in America before 1860 for it to generate a significant impact on the language. So, the first explanation seems more likely.

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