Question

Face the Music to endure the consequences of one's actions; to take what you have coming to you

Accepted Answer

I was caught cheating and now I have to face the music. This American saying was common in the mid-1800s. There are two theories about its origin. It could have come from the world of theater. Sometimes an audience didn't like a show. It took courage for a performer to stand on the stage and face the hostile audience and also the orchestra pit ("the music"). This idiom could also have come from the military world. If a soldier did something dishonorable, he was often dismissed from the army as the band played, "facing the music." Similar expressions are "pay the piper" and "take one's medicine."

Idiom	Face the Music
Example	I was caught cheating and now I have to face the music.
Meaning	to endure the consequences of one's actions; to take what you have coming to you
Origin	This American saying was common in the mid-1800s. There are two theories about its origin. It could have come from the world of theater. Sometimes an audience didn't like a show. It took courage for a performer to stand on the stage and face the hostile audience and also the orchestra pit ("the music"). This idiom could also have come from the military world. If a soldier did something dishonorable, he was often dismissed from the army as the band played, "facing the music." Similar expressions are "pay the piper" and "take one's medicine."

Face Music I One's Audience Caught Cheating Endure