• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Expression “Face the Music” Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?

Where Did the Expression “Face the Music” Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?

July 24, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expression “face the music” comes from the military “drumming out” ceremony for disgraced soldiers.

This ritual called for only drums to accompany the dishonored as he was stripped of his rank and colors in front of his assembled unit.

For cavalrymen, this humiliation was enhanced by having the offender sit backwards on his horse so that while leaving he could still see, as well as hear, the drums and the band.

He was forced to face the music.

We say that a guilty person must “face the music”.

Related Facts

  • Where does the expression "to face the music" come from and What does it mean?
  • What Does the Saying Started At Pudding and Ended At Pie Mean and Where Did the Expression Come From?
  • Where Did the Expression "Got His Goat" Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?
  • Where Did the Expression "The Apple of My Eye" Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?
  • What Does the Saying "Passed With Flying Colors" Mean and Where Did the Expression Come From?
  • Where Did the Expression "Speak of the Devil" Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Does the Expression “Flash in the Pan” Mean and Where Did the Phrase Originate?
Next Post: How Did the Infantry Get its Name, What Does the Word Mean, and How Did it Originate? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy