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hold one's head high

Also, hold one's head up; hold up one's head. Behave proudly; maintain one's dignity. For example, After the bankruptcy Mr. Jones still held his head high, or Grandma told Brian he could hold his head up because he'd tried extremely hard, or After that newspaper article, I'm not sure I'll ever hold up my head again. All these expressions allude to a posture of pride. [Second half of 1500s]

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a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.
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Words nearby hold one's head high

hold on to, hold on to your hat, hold one's breath, hold one's end up, hold one's fire, hold one's head high, hold one's horses, hold one's own, hold one's peace, hold one's temper, hold one's tongue
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.