bold-faced
Meaning
(of a lie or liar) shameless and obvious
(of type) having thick, dark lines; bold
Structure
Usage
He told a bold-faced lie to the committee.
The headline was printed in bold-faced type for emphasis.
It was a bold-faced attempt to rewrite history.
Etymology
The compound 'bold-faced' is a relatively modern English formation, combining two ancient roots to create a vivid metaphorical descriptor. The first element, 'bold', carries its Old English sense of being conspicuous or standing out prominently. The second, 'face', draws from the Latin concept of outward appearance or surface. When combined with the adjectival suffix '-ed', the literal meaning "having a bold face" evolved figuratively. It first described a typeface with thick, emphatic strokes, and by the late 16th century, it was applied metaphorically to lies or liars so brazen and unconcealed they seemed to stare one in the face, highlighting the shamelessness of the act through the imagery of an audacious countenance.
Analysis
- bold: From Old English 'beald' (bold, brave, confident), of Germanic origin. - face: From Old French 'face', based on Latin 'facies' (form, appearance, face). - ed: A suffix forming adjectives from nouns or other adjectives, from Old English '-ede', '-ode', '-ad'.