game face
n.— «He slumped in his chair, rested his head on the palm of his extended arm, and glared at the 20 or so mostly black male job seekers who gathered on a recent Monday, the first day of a four-week job-readiness training program.…The men were talking about “game face,” slang for the menacing expression worn by many African-American and Hispanic men who live in inner cities. But many men who wear their game faces on the streets also wear them on interviews and at work.» —“Sometimes the Right Approach Is Putting the Best Face Forward” by Tanya Mohn New York Times May 7, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...
Sean in Oneonta, New York, says that when he was growing up in New Jersey, his family would pile in the car and set off on a surprise adventure, whether a short distance or long, and the kids would be told only that they were going on Buxtehude...