to draw a long face
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To look dissatisfied or sorrowful, in which case the mouth is drawn down at the corners, the eyes are dejected, and the face has an elongated appearance.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to draw a long face” mean?
To look dissatisfied or sorrowful, in which case the mouth is drawn down at the corners, the eyes are dejected, and the face has an elongated appearance.
Is “to draw a long face” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.