When someone says you have a “face like a wet weekend” two things can be sure: you seem to be very unhappy from all outward appearances and the person remarking on how you look is most likely very familiar with current British slang.
On March 15, 2009 the Scotsman published an interview with Fraser Gray, head of Zolfo Cooper in Scotland, that delved into the matter of insolvency practitioners:
It is not easy being seen as the corporate grim reaper, the man with a briefcase full of P45s and a face like a wet weekend. Insolvency practitioners are not the sort of people generally welcomed with unbridled enthusiasm and a beaming smile, but this is their time and they’re pretty busy right now.
The Daily Mail in the UK ran an article on September 3, 2007 by Louise Roe entitled, “Chic Or Freak? Can You Wear This Season’s Wacky Styles In Public?”
We head to a nearby flower stall to take a photo with a bright background. Or at least we try to. The flower seller looks me up and down with a face like a wet weekend and refuses to let me buy anything from him, let alone have my picture taken next to his roses. No wonder goths have a reputation for always being so grumpy – the reaction I’m getting is overwhelmingly negative.
And on March 8, 2004 the Mirror newspaper in the UK ran a story on then-20-year-old Holly Valance and her then-boyfriend Peter Ververis, and their appearance at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia. From the way the article reads, it was a wholly unpleasant experience all the way around.
Given that failed Holly Valance fled Britain last week with her tail between her legs, you would think she’d be extra nice to anyone still willing to pay attention to her. But not stroppy Holly. She rolled up at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne yesterday, with a face like a wet weekend and a personality to match.
Prior to this date, it appears that anything that speaks of a “wet weekend” appears to only address the weather however that the phrase “face like a wet weekend” was used easily in an article in 2004, it is safe to assume that this slang expression has been around at least since at least 2000.
Historically Speaking 