There are so many expressions in American English that sound nice but are not. When someone says they have to "face the music", it does not mean they are going to a concert. "Facing the music" means to accept the punishment of an action.
Americans often use the word "face" in this way. For example, "I can't face another night of camping! It's cold and rainy. " Or "In life, you must face your fears. "
Back to facing the music: Imagine a friend asks you to take care of her expensive sports car. She gives you the keys and says, "Thanks so much for watching my car while I'm away. But please, do not drive it. It is an extremely fast car. " You want to show off to some friends. So, you drive it around town one night. As bad luck would have it, you lose control of the car and drive it into a stop sign. Bang!
When your friend returns, you must tell her what you have done and "face the music". It could be losing her friendship or paying to repair her car, or both. Whatever the music is, you must face it.
To "take your medicine" means to accept the results from something bad you have done. And if someone says, "You made your bed. Now lie in it," they mean you created a bad situation and now you have to experience the results!
| A. But you do not listen at all. B. "Face the music" is a good example. C. The "music" here is the result of your actions. D. Face used in this way is very common in America. E. American people use "face the music" a lot in their daily life. F. There are other American expressions that mean the same thing as "face the music". |
