set of one's jaw

set of one's jaw

1. (set phrase) The manner of one's lower facial expression, especially as suggesting firm resolve, or intensity of thought or feeling.
   • 1909, Louis Joseph Vance, The Bronze Bell, ch. 18:

     But he made no audible comment, though his thoughts were as black as his brow and as grimly fashioned as the set of his jaw.

   • 1919, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Long Live the King, ch. 30:

     She saw anger in the very turn of his head and set of his jaw.

   • 1946, Alice Marble, The Road to Wimbledon, C. Scribner's Sons, p. 154 (Google snippet view):

     But it was the set of her jaw and the coolness in her green eyes that made me feel how really formidable she was.

   • 2005 Sept. 5, Cassandra Jardine, "Worried? You bet, say the odd couple with an ocean to cross," Telegraph (UK) (retrieved 7 April 2017):

     From the set of his jaw and the flash in his eye, it is clear that he always expects to win.

• determination, fortitude, inner strength