lantern jaw

American  

noun

1. a distinctly protruding, often wide lower jaw.

2. a long, thin jaw.

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lantern jaw British  

noun

1. a long hollow jaw that gives the face a drawn appearance

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Etymology

Origin of lantern jaw

First recorded in 1690–1700; so called from the fancied resemblance of the face to the shape of a lantern

Example Sentences

Earlier that year, it called Secretary of State John Kerry a wolf with a "hideous lantern jaw" after U.S. and South Korean troops launched summertime drills.

From US News • Apr. 12, 2016

Fred Hutchinson was once described by The New York Times as having a “long, somber countenance, lantern jaw and tight-lipped mouth that habitually drooped at the corners.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 26, 2015

The shiny black hair, the quarterback smile, the lantern jaw.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2015

Spitzer, with his lantern jaw and sharply tailored pinstripes, looked like one of the Wall Street sharks he became famous for policing.

From Washington Post • Aug. 9, 2013

Sometimes the man with the silver hair and broad shoulders and lantern jaw is a lightweight.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell