face the music

To accept unpleasant consequences: “After several years of cheating his employer, the embezzler finally had to face the music.”

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Idioms and Phrases

Confront unpleasantness, especially the consequences of one's errors. For example, When the check bounced, he had to face the music . The precise allusion in this expression has been lost. Most authorities believe it refers to a theater's pit orchestra, which an actor must face when he faces what can be a hostile audience, but some hold it comes from the military, where a formal dismissal in disgrace would be accompanied by band music. [Second half of 1800s] Also see face up to .

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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