give face

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First used in the late 19th century (most likely in the colonial Hong Kong) as a direct English translation of the Cantonese expression 畀面 bei2 min2 (literally "give face", with colloquial cantonese 畀 and 面 instead of the standard written form 給 and 臉 for "give" and "face" respectively. Note: It is now quite common for Mandarin-speakers to say 給面子 as a variation of 畀面, keeping the cantonese 面 instead of converting it to 臉 when they first borrowed it.

give face

1. (idiomatic) To honor; to pay respect.
   • 2000, Ko-lin Chin, Chinatown Gangs: Extortion, Enterprise, and Ethnicity, page 200:

     We gave face to one another.

   • 2001, Wenshan Jia, The remaking of the Chinese character and identity in the 21st Century, page 135:

     While she gave face to the director, his subordinates, and her colleagues, she had no face left to herself.

   • 2003, Martin Krott, Kent Williamsson, China business ABC: the China market survival kit, page 51:

     As one example among many of good intent gone wrong, we can mention the western top manager who felt that he gave face to the Chinese side by suddenly showing up himself to negotiate instead of sending a lower ranked employee.

• save face

Compare give head.

give face

1. (idiomatic, slang) To perform oral sex (on a female).
   • (Can we date this quote?), J. Darroll Hall, The Lollipop Book, page 107:

     Boys gave face, girls gave head.

   • 2001, Letters to Penthouse XIV, page 107:

     Frank had pushed her pants down to reveal her pink pussy and was giving her face. She was in ecstasy.

   • 2004, Henry Joseph Rychlicki, Fragments of My Life: A Sex Fiction, page 121:

     I'd hold her ass while I was giving her face, licking and sucking while she tried to escape, anticipating her orgasm when all of the sudden she would burst sweet honey and come all over my face while the earth shook.

give face

1. (with to) To confront.
   • 1997, Scott Turow, The Laws of Our Fathers:

     He has been shot twice before, once when he was sixteen, that was some serious shit, sort of giving face to some dude, and the mother pulled out a.38 and boom, just like it was but a little more downtalk.