Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that faces, especially a device used in smoothing or dressing a surface.
  • noun An unexpected, stunning blow or defeat.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A post-office employee whose business is to arrange letters with their faces in one direction.
  • noun One who faces; one who puts on a bold face.
  • noun A severe blow on the face; hence, any sudden cheek that staggers one.
  • noun A bumper of wine.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete One who faces; one who puts on a false show; a bold-faced person.
  • noun Collog. A blow in the face, as in boxing; hence, any severe or stunning check or defeat, as in controversy.
  • noun obsolescent Briticism, obsolescent Briticism a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An unexpected and stunning blow or defeat
  • noun obsolete One who faces; one who puts on a false show; a bold-faced person.
  • noun obsolete A blow in the face, as in boxing; hence, any severe or stunning check or defeat, as in controversy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • This was a "facer"; the librarian seemed to have brought up against a stone wall, but she waited, knowing that a situation, unlike a knot, will sometimes untie itself.

    A Librarian's Open Shelf Arthur E. Bostwick

  • Before he could reply, Ike had another "facer" for him.

    The Mystery at Number Six 1922

  • In breathless silence the little group of spectators watched his movements, and when, with sharply exhaled breath, he planted a crashing "facer" straight from the shoulder squarely upon the leathern disk they sprang eagerly forward to note the result.

    The Copper Princess A Story of Lake Superior Mines Kirk Munroe 1890

  • This would have been a "facer" to any but a true son of Uncle Sam.

    Worldly Ways and Byways Eliot Gregory 1884

  • "That from you, and in the presence of Weissmann, is a 'facer'!

    The Tyranny of the Dark Hamlin Garland 1900

  • This was what Bertie Wooster would have called “a bit of a facer”; I was groping for an apt response when Clark pressed on.

    The Pity of War 2009

  • Now, having proved you can solve any problem, dear blogging friends, I have a real facer for you.

    Queens and Curses « Tales from the Reading Room 2009

  • But Mr. Hornaday's reply is such a facer to him and his homocentric theory that he has to do something.

    The Other Animals 2010

  • It was a facer to me, and with quite a pronounced fellow-feeling for

    CHAPTER VII 2010

  • This was what Bertie Wooster would have called “a bit of a facer”; I was groping for an apt response when Clark pressed on.

    The Pity of War 2009

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