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This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other
Apr 21, 2020 03:24
4 yrs ago
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English term

To keep a stiff upper lip

English Art/Literary General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I would like to get a general feel for the usage of the idiom "to keep a stiff upper lip" in the United States. I don't want to ask any leading questions. Therefore, I am not providing further context. For those of you living in the U.S. or having had exposure otherwise, I would just like to ask that you give an opinion. Feel free to provide examples and/or measured conjecture, etc. It's basically an opinion poll among linguists (not sure you can earn Kudoz points on THAT). Again, this is about U.S. usage only. What has been your experience? Thanks for helping!
Responses
4 +8 don't show your emotions
5 Show courage in the face of pain or adversity
3 (buckle down and) grit your teeth
4 -2 hang in
3 -2 don't be a pansey/don't be a girl's blouse
References
Reference: US/UK -no difference in meaning
Change log

Apr 21, 2020 04:01: Murad AWAD changed "Language pair" from "German to English" to "English" , "Field" from "Other" to "Art/Literary" , "Field (write-in)" from "The usage of \"to keep a stiff upper lip\" in the U.S." to "(none)"

Discussion

Björn Vrooman Apr 22, 2020:
@Annett In addition to Charles' excellent find and Michael's reference, you might be interested in reading the following blog post:
https://notoneoffbritishisms.com/2019/01/16/stiff-upper-lip

It tells you a bit more about when the phrase started being thought of as British.

Best
Taña Dalglish Apr 21, 2020:
@ Charles Davis Where did you disappear to? People have been seeking you out for months now, even private e-mail messages! Good to see you on the forum(s) again! Hope all is well with you and your family? Warm regards.
writeaway Apr 21, 2020:
@Charles That's really interesting and amusing too. I didn't bother checking the etymology. But it does help explain why it's not exactly a mystery expression in English-speaking countries.
Charles Davis Apr 21, 2020:
Originally an American expression Considering the strongly British associations of this expression nowadays, it comes as a surprise (at least it did to me) to find that it was originally an Americanism. It is mentioned in British newspapers from the 1830s, but always quoted from American sources. Several sources say it first appeared in the UK in 1844 but I don't think it became a common British idiom until much later. Indeed, John Russell Bartlett includes "to keep a stiff upper lip" in his Dictionary of Americanisms: A Glossary of Words and Phrases Usually Regarded as Peculiar to the United States in 1848, defining it as "to continue firm, unmoved".
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9sVUAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA193

Most sources (including Eric Partridge and Merriam-Webster) say it first appeared in 1815, but I can push that back four years to 1811, in the Philadelphia Gazette:
"But it was determined in caucus last Sunday evening to look big, and keep a stiff upper lip"
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uiZHAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA222
writeaway Apr 21, 2020:
Only used when the occasion calls for it But it's a very well-known idiom in the US and other English-speaking countries. Most people know what it means.
Patrick Hubenthal Apr 21, 2020:
Edith I don't doubt it. To clarify, I meant it's not an everyday idiom in the US.
Edith Kelly Apr 21, 2020:
Patrick I can assure you that the term is still used widely. We at home used it on a regular basis. You must be from UK or Eire to use it.
Patrick Hubenthal Apr 21, 2020:
My experience: I can actually still remember where I first encountered this expression: in a paperback Peanuts collection, in a comic strip which, thanks to the internet, I now know was from July 2, 1967: https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1967/07/02. It felt dated and vaguely British at the time I read it (sometime in the ’70s). I’d never heard the phrase before then, and I don’t believe I’ve heard anyone say it out loud in the 40+ years since. Not an everyday idiom by any means.
AllegroTrans Apr 21, 2020:
No it doesn't mean "don't utter a word" It means don't get emotional (especially regarding showing the weaker emotions)
adel almergawy Apr 21, 2020:
does it mean ( don't utter a word/ don't whisper)?
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 21, 2020:
From the ns perspective This is said when someone is going through emotionally difficult times and is not very common in U.S. English. It is a phrase of encouragement and 'hang in there' is similar but not really synonymous. The difference is, as Lydia stated in her suggestion, that a 'stiff upper lip' is about not showing your vulnerability and 'hang in there' is about perseverance.
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 21, 2020:
From the ns perspective This is said when someone is going through emotionally difficult times and is not very common in U.S. English. It is a phrase of encouragement and 'hang in there' is similar but not really synonymous. The difference is, as Lydia stated in her suggestion, that a 'stiff upper lip' is about not showing your vulnerability and 'hang in there' is about perseverance.
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2020:
no problem Annett and glad to have helped you :) keep safe
Annett Brown, MBA, CT (asker) Apr 21, 2020:
I'm afraid I should have posted this under an Eng-Eng request. Thanks, David, for making me aware of this. I don't need this in German. "Operator error" on my part! I will try to navigate myself through the portal. Again, your input is greatly appreciated.
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2020:
and in US-English I would say "hang in"
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2020:
auf Deutsch wäre es: die Ohren steif halten
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2020:
I think you need to post this as an Eng-Eng question...
David Hollywood Apr 21, 2020:
would you like this in German?

Responses

-2
40 mins

hang in

I would say in your context

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Note added at 42 mins (2020-04-21 04:07:34 GMT)
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the way I read it is that we have to keep going and get through a difficult situation without dispairing

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Note added at 46 mins (2020-04-21 04:11:35 GMT)
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the UK interpretation is slightly different but boils down to the same thing:

the phrase is most commonly heard as part of the idiom "keep a stiff upper lip", and has traditionally been used to describe an attribute of British people in remaining resolute and unemotional when faced with adversity.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 50 mins (2020-04-21 04:15:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I lived in the US for 6 years and am quite familiar with the subtle differences between our separate usage of a common language but would like to hear if native US-American speakers are ok with "hang in" in this particular context...
Note from asker:
Thank you for your input David. I tend to agree with you in that I rarely ever hear the idiom used by Americans except in reference to British people. And I wanted to see what other linguists think.
Peer comment(s):
agree JaneTranslates : I'm fine with "hang in" (I usually hear "hang in there"). I don't think I've ever heard a speaker of US English say anything about a "stiff upper lip" except with humorous intent, i.e., to imitate/mock/shout out to UK English.
2 hrs
thanks Jane
disagree Ramey Rieger (X) : Actually, it's hang in THERE. Simply hang in is not U.S. English.
2 hrs
hi Ramey and I know the standard expression is "hang in there" but "hang in" would be perfectly understood in the US
disagree AllegroTrans : = to persevere; this is not the meaning of showing a stiff upper lip
5 hrs
Hi Chris and see my explanation which says just that :)
disagree Patrick Hubenthal : I’ve heard “hang in” w/o the “there” in the US. But like AllegroTrans says (& Ramey in her discussion entry), it’s not the same as a stiff upper lip. It’s fine to show emotion when you’re “hanging in there”; the important thing is just not to give up.
7 hrs
hi Patrick and see my explanation
Something went wrong...
+8
3 hrs

don't show your emotions

Similar to 'poker-face' or 'never let them see you sweat'. a trembling lip is a sign of fear or weakness.
Note from asker:
Thank you for your post, Lydia.
Peer comment(s):
agree Ramey Rieger (X) : Yes.
17 mins
Thank you.
agree Tony M : This is certainly the normal meaning in EN-GB — and I honestly can't think I've ever heard it used in EN-US, except, as David says, as a usually jocular reference to Brits in some way.
18 mins
Thank you.
agree Mark Nathan : This is what James Bond does even when he is about to be cut in half by a laser beam.
3 hrs
shaken, not stirred... thanks!
agree adel almergawy
4 hrs
Thank you.
agree Patrick Hubenthal
5 hrs
Thank you.
agree AllegroTrans : i.e. the "weaker" ones
5 hrs
Thank you.
agree Yvonne Gallagher
5 hrs
Thank you.
agree Thayenga : Exactly. :)
7 hrs
Thank you. Saludos.
Something went wrong...
-2
6 hrs

don't be a pansey/don't be a girl's blouse

Think I have heard these expressions in this context
Note from asker:
Thank you for your post, although I don't think I have ever heard an American say "don't be a girl's blouse."
Peer comment(s):
neutral Tony M : I think both of those are very GB and very dated, I doubt they are specifically applicable to the US; I also think it is not quite the same idiom.
3 mins
OK
disagree Susan Welsh : Not AE at all
1 hr
fair enough
disagree Victoria Monk : Not at all.
9 hrs
thanks
Something went wrong...
9 hrs

(buckle down and) grit your teeth

Even though this idiom may have originated in the US, it's not widely used here, but to the extent that it is, it's probably used by people with higher than average education levels. For those that use it, it may also tie in with stereotypes about 'the British' or subsets of the British people with connotations about class and British resilience in the face of adversity (the Blitz).

But all of the above is something that can be looked up and researched - there's no need to rely on our contributions to arrive at conclusions about what this idiom 'means' to Americans. Hence, the far more interesting question would be: what is a more typically American idiom for 'keeping a stiff upper lip'?

Buckle/hunker/bite down and grit your teeth

Compare with this:
"Consumers Keep a Stiff Upper Lip"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-07-24/consumers...

"As consumers grit their teeth with every trip to the pump, the high prices are even harder to swallow when oil companies report record profits." https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/158112/

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Note added at 9 hrs (2020-04-21 13:01:49 GMT)
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https://wordhistories.net/2018/05/06/stiff-upper-lip/
Note from asker:
Thank you for your thoughtful post and references. I was more or less interested in seeing how common the use of the idiom is in the U.S. (and if it is used only in reference to British people). I personally don't use the idiom. I would be much more likely to say something like "Keep your chin up."
Something went wrong...
10 hrs

Show courage in the face of pain or adversity

Do not give way to adversity; appear to be resolute and stoical without showing your true feelings. This term comes from America in the early 1800s and presumably refers to a trembling lip, which betrays that one is about to burst into tears. The expression actually does not make much sense, since it is usually the lower lip that trembles before weeping, but certainly any tremor of the upper lip would be particularly obvious in a man wearing a mustache, in the ubiquitous fashion of the 1830s.
Example sentence:

I know you're upset about losing the game, but keep a stiff upper lip.

Reference:

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/keep+a+stiff+upper+lip

Note from asker:
Thank you for your post, Danilo.
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

7 hrs
Reference:

Reference: US/UK -no difference in meaning

Reference information:
Meaning of stiff upper lip in English

stiff upper lip
noun [ C usually singular ]
US /ˌstɪf ˌʌp.ɚ ˈlɪp/ UK /ˌstɪf ˌʌp.ə ˈlɪp/

Someone who has a stiff upper lip does not show their feelings when they are upset:
He was taught to keep a stiff upper lip, whatever happens.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/stiff...

Definition of stiff upper lip
: a steady and determined attitude or manner in the face of trouble
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stiff upper lip

stiff upper lip ​DEFINITIONS AND SYNONYMS
​NOUN
SINGULAR
US

DEFINITIONS
1
a quality of remaining calm and not letting other people see what you are really feeling in a difficult or unpleasant situation
Through all these tragedies he kept a stiff upper lip.
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/s...

etc.
Note from asker:
Thank you for providing all these references. However, my main goal was less about dictionary entries, but rather to see if other linguists would agree with me in that the idiom is rarely used in the U.S. and, if so, mainly in reference to British people.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Tony M
12 mins
agree Mark Nathan
44 mins
agree Yvonne Gallagher : definition a good way to go
54 mins
agree Rachel Fell
4 hrs
agree Bernhard Sulzer
7 hrs
Something went wrong...
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