face the music

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

to accept the consequences of one's actions, especially when those consequences are unpleasant, embarrassing, or painful, rather than avoiding, denying, or deflecting responsibility; the phrase may originate from theatrical practice, where performers must literally face toward the orchestra pit and the music, or from military contexts in which disgraced soldiers were drummed out of service; in everyday use it describes the courage required to stand before the judgement of others — whether an employer, a court, a public audience, or one's own conscience — and accept what that judgement delivers without evasion or self-pity