in your face

American  

[in yoor feys] / ˈɪn ˌyʊər ˈfeɪs /

idiom

Informal.

1. Also in-your-face

   1. seeming to express or invite confrontation; defiant, militant, or provocative.

      His political commentary is always in your face.

      Something drives him to break every rule, and to do it with a deep-down, in-your-face belligerence.

   2. displayed or advertised flagrantly, obtrusively, or forcefully.

      Everywhere you go, alcohol is in your face.

   3. (of a color, flavor, or the like) strong or vivid; bold rather than subtle.

      The brew has a huge, in-your-face hop flavor, but very little bitterness.

2. in a provocative, flagrant, or bold way.

   They’re so brazen—they do their cheating in your face, daring you to do something about it.

3. (used as an exclamation to tease someone or flaunt something in a confrontational way).

   In your face, Cougars—we won!

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in-your-face British  

adjective

1. slang  aggressive and confrontational

   provocative in-your-face activism

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in your face More Idioms  

1. Defiantly confrontational; also, an exclamation of contempt. For example, This show is not suitable for youngsters; its attitude about sex is in your face, or In your face, mister! This slangy expression originated in the 1970s in basketball as a phrase of contempt used against the opposing team and was extended to other areas by the mid-1980s.

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Etymology

Origin of in your face

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

If you’re a veteran like Messrs. Retes or Oliva, you get a shrug and a courthouse door slammed in your face.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You’d get all that heat out of the basement coming up, blowing in your face.”

From The Wall Street Journal

That weird Strawberry Shortcake doll that would burp its signature scent in your face when you squeezed its stomach.

From Salon

“You guys grew up in a country where some of the weirdest perversions were shoved in your face from the time you were young—in school, on TV, everywhere.”

From Slate

“Same b***h that wanna smile in your face be the same b***h that gonna come for you later,” Zola gleefully tells Stefani during their first club outing together, the only good one they’ll have.

From Salon