die Visage
face
A person's face, usually expressed in colloquial and often derogatory language.
EXAMPLE
Er hat seine Visage im Spiegel betrachtet und dabei laut gelacht.
He looked at his mug in the mirror and laughed out loud.
die Visage
face / mug
die Visage, die Visagen
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Meanings
jemandem die Visage polieren
to punch someone in the face
To beat someone up or hit them in the face, in colloquial and usually threatening language.
EXAMPLE
Wenn du ihn weiter provozierst, will er dir die Visage polieren.
If you keep provoking him, he wants to punch you in the face.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Visage, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | feminine die |
|---|---|
| plural | die Visagen |
| genitive | der Visage |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | die Visage | die Visagen |
| accusative | die Visage | die Visagen |
| dative | der Visage | den Visagen |
| genitive | der Visage | der Visagen |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Register and tone
'Visage' is colloquial and often sounds mocking or derogatory. In a polite or matter-of-fact situation, the word can therefore sound unfriendly.
EXAMPLE
Er wollte seine Visage auf dem Foto nicht sehen.
He didn't want to see his mug in the photo.
Sie machte sich über seine müde Visage lustig.
She made fun of his tired mug.
Typical collocations
In this meaning, 'Visage' (face / mug) often appears with a possessive article or with verbs such as 'zeigen' (to show), 'sehen' (to see), and 'betrachten' (to look at). It refers to a particular person's face.
EXAMPLE
Er ließ seine Visage den ganzen Abend nicht sehen.
He didn't show his face all evening.
Sie betrachtete ihre Visage lange im Spiegel.
She looked at her mug in the mirror for a long time.
Fixed expression
In 'jemandem die Visage polieren' (to punch someone in the face), the person affected is in the dative, while 'die Visage' (the face) is the accusative object. The fixed expression sounds threatening and is usually used colloquially.
EXAMPLE
Er drohte seinem Nachbarn, ihm die Visage zu polieren.
He threatened his neighbor that he would punch him in the face.
Context clue
The threatening meaning is especially clear from the verb 'polieren' (to polish) and the construction with 'jemandem' (to someone). With neutral verbs such as 'betrachten' (to look at) or 'sehen' (to see), it refers to the face instead.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Streit sagte er, er werde ihm die Visage polieren.
After the argument, he said he would punch him in the face.
Beim Frühstück musste ich schon wieder seine schlecht gelaunte Visage sehen.
At breakfast, I had to look at his bad-tempered mug again.
In real life
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