set of one's jaw

set of one's jaw

English

Noun

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.

See also

• determination, fortitude, inner strength