hangdog

“I don't think anyone quite understands how it gets resolved,” he said with trace of hangdog sadness.
Hostage to His Caucus, John Boehner Can’t Keep His Message Straight|John Avlon|March 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was renowned for his violent pedigree, although few people other than militants would have recognized his broad, hangdog face.
My Trip With a Terrorist|Eliza Griswold|August 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He straightened and a little of the hangdog servility dropped away.
The Clean and Wholesome Land|Ralph Sholto
He was a loose-limbed, swarthy, slouching giant with a hangdog look.
Tales from Dickens|Charles Dickens and Hallie Erminie Rives

He formed a marked contrast to his partner,—being tall, dark and slender, with a hangdog expression on his face.
The Adventures of the Eleven Cuff-Buttons|James Francis Thierry
The look in Trenwith's eyes, and the sheepish, hangdog expression of his whole face made Eleanor gasp.
The Camp Fire Girls at the Seashore|Jane L. Stewart
There was no lowering of the eyelids when they confessed; no hangdog look about the mouth.
The Underdog|F. Hopkinson Smith

British Dictionary definitions for hangdog

hangdog

/ (ˈhæŋˌdɒɡ) /

adjective

downcast, furtive, or guilty in appearance or manner

noun

a furtive or sneaky person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012