baby face vs old face

keannu · May 25, 2013

You call a person who looks much younger than his or her age "baby face".
Then, what do you call a person who looks much older than his or her age? "He has got an old face"?

probus · May 25, 2013

There is no current idiom corresponding to "old face." And "baby face" sounds extremely dated. To me it belongs to the 1930s or 40s.

MikeNewYork · May 25, 2013

Referring to someone as old is hardly ever a compliment. You will hear euphemisms for that: "He has a face that shows character", "You have a face that bespeaks experience and wisdom", etc.

Barb_D · May 26, 2013

Rode hard and put away wet.

Hardly complimentary.

emsr2d2 · May 26, 2013

MikeNewYork said:
Referring to someone as old is hardly ever a compliment. You will hear euphemisms for that: "He has a face that shows character", "You have a face that bespeaks experience and wisdom", etc.

Learners, please note that if you use "bespeaks" in normal everyday English, you'll get some rather strange looks!

Odessa Dawn · May 26, 2013

emsr2d2 said:
Learners, please note that if you use "bespeaks" in normal everyday English, you'll get some rather strange looks!

Thank you, ems.

I didn’t get it. Will you please clear it up, please?

5jj · May 26, 2013

Odessa Dawn said:
I didn’t get it. Will you please clear it up, please?

Most native speakers do not use the word today. Many would not even understand it.

SoothingDave · May 26, 2013

Barb_D said:
Rode hard and put away wet.

Hardly complimentary.

I was going to suggest that phrase.

I was also going to note that, when you see someone who looks prematurely old, especially on the TV news, the phrase that comes to mind is "meth head."

baby face vs old face

keannu

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