Stiff upper lip
When we say that someone has a “stiff upper lip” we mean that they don’t show emotion when things are difficult. The idiom is frequently used in the form “to keep a stiff upper lip”.
Examples:
- All through his illness she kept a stiff upper lip.
- I know it’s upsetting but you must try to keep a stiff upper lip.
The phrase is often used to describe what many people believe to be a characteristic of British people – and particularly of English men. There are many stories told as examples of this. These include:
- At the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 Henry Paget was hit by a cannon ball. He turned to his commander, the Duke of Wellington, and said: “By God, sir, I’ve lost my leg!”. Wellington replied, “By God, sir, so you have!”
- In 1912, Captain Titus Oates, who was a member of an expedition to the South Pole led by Robert Falcon Scott, realised that his ill health was affecting the survival chances of his companions. He went out into the freezing conditions. As he left the tent he said, “I am just going outside and may be some time.” He was never seen again. In his diary, Scott wrote: “We knew it was the act of a brave man and an English gentleman.”
Although many people think that having a stiff upper lip is a good quality, others regard it as bad not to show emotions because this can have a negative effect on relationships with other people.
Similar words and phrases:
- Keep calm and carry on
- Grin and bear it
- Button it up
- Poker-faced
- Bite your lip
- Impassive
- Unsentimental
- Unemotional
- Clinical
- Icy
- Reserved
- Stiff as a board
- Calm in the face of adversity
- Resilience
- Determination
- Never give up
- Never say die
- Stand firm
- Bulldog spirit
- Keep your chin up
