lose face

Idioms  

1. Be embarrassed or humiliated, especially publicly. For example, Terry lost face when his assistant was promoted and became his boss. Both this expression and the underlying concept come from Asia; the term itself is a translation of the Chinese tiu lien and has been used in English since the late 1800s. Also see save face.

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Example Sentences

After arguing for years that Hungary cannot survive without Russian oil and gas, he would lose face if it turns out it can.

From BBC

But the dad wasn't prepared to lose face.

From BBC

If he does too little, he will lose face; if he does too much, he could lose everything.

From BBC

Retired Det Sgt Willie Mason claims senior officers did not want to lose face.

From BBC

"They won't want to lose face" says Fitton-Brown.

From BBC