Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the face.

1686		‘Madam Le Croix’ in Wilson Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 170: She reads her fortune in her phiz.
1697		Female Wits I ii: After, you shall be sure to behold his ill-favoured phiz peeping out behind the scenes at both houses.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Phis for Physiognomy, Face or Aspect.
1700		T. Brown Amusements Serious and Comical in Works (1744) III 34: Knights come hither [i.e. the playhouse] to learn the amorous smirk, the alamode grin [...] and how to adjust their phiz to make themselves as ridiculous by art as they are by nature. [Ibid.] 111: The dirt, and sallow complexion, gave her a phyz most surprizing.
1710		R. Steele Tatler No. 230 n.p.: The Jacks, and others of that Kidney, are very uppish, and alert upon’t, as you may see by their Phizz’s —.
1714		G. Hunter ‘Androboros’ in Meserve & Reardon Satiric Comedies (1969) 37: Fizle’s Phiz always gives me the Chollick.
1715		‘Nickydemus Ninnyhammer’ Homer in a nut-shell 4: Rose up, and stroaking down his Phyz, / Spoke to our bouncing Hero, viz.
1722		S. Centlivre Artifice Act II: I don’t like your Phiz.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1725		J. Sheppard Sheppard in Egypt 7: All of them fell to nibbling at my Phyz, with their pencils.
1732		Delightful Adventures of Honest John Cole 12: I like your Phiz.
1738		Swift Polite Conversation xx: Some Abbreviations exquisitely refined: As, [...] Phizz for Physiognomy. [Ibid.] 42: I saw her with my own Eyes; she sat among the Mobb in the Gallery, her own ugly Fizz. And she saw me look at her.
1748		Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 62: A short crop eared wig [...] added to what is called a queer phiz, occasioned by a long chin, an hook nose, and high cheek bones.
1750		‘Happiness of a Good Assurance’ in ‘A Pembrochian’ Gradus ad Cantabrigiam (1803) 43: Who’er with frontless phyz is blest, / Still, in a blue, or scarlet vest, / May saunter through the town.
1762		Bridges Homer Travestie (1764) I 175: Paris puts on a warlike phiz, / And from his hand his lance goes whiz.
1765		Foote The Commissary 9: A whole cargo of husbands [...] of all nations, complexions, ages, tempers, and fizes.
1768		Cleland Woman of Honor III 95: A greasy unctuous perspiration for ever on the surface of his phyz.
1779		Mme D’Arblay Diary and Letters (1904) I 175: She examined my phiz.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Phyz, the face. Rum phyz; an odd face or countenance.
1785		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Lyric Odes’ Works (1794) I 81: For by each phiz [...] There’s not an Israelite in all the tribe.
1788		N.Y. Journal 24 July 3/2: It was really laughable to see the variety of phizzes on this occasion.
1789		Both Sides of the Gutter part II 11: He pops in his phiz [...] And tips ould Charkley de wink.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 168: With solemn phiz about the fate / Of Troy the gods deliberate.
1800		G.S. Carey ‘Every Man His Mode’ One Thousand Eight Hundred 29: The Quaker’s a very queer kind of a quiz, / His back so erect, and so prim in his phiz.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: Physog. The face. A vulgar abbreviation of physiognomy. Phyz. The face. Rum phyz; an odd face or countenance.
1812		W. Combe Doctor Syntax, Picturesque (1868) 4/1: The painted fancy did beguile / His woe-worn phiz into a smile.
1818		‘Thomas Brown’ Fudge Family in Paris Letter III 24: We lounge up the Boulevards, where — oh, Dick, the phyzzes, / The turn-outs we meet — what a nation of quizzes.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 68: Oh, what a face of brass was his, / Who first at Congress show’d his phyz.
1821–6		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 111: His whole physog was completely mauled and jellyfied.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 78: Fiszog — or Physiog; the face.
1826		Vulgarities of Speech Corrected n.p.: Phyz, or physog, The face.
1828		‘A Flat Enlightened’ Life in the West I 295: If he ‘twigged’ the other’s ‘phiz,’ in the street [...] he made all possible dispatch to evade his sight.
1833		‘The Chummies’ Society’ in Fun Alive O! 54: I made his fizhog for to sound again / When a pair of blue devils came in.
1833		‘The Wigton Reprobates’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 265: Heave a sigh ev’ry heart, let each phiz, be demure.
1834		Ely’s Hawk & Buzzard (NY) Sept. 6 n.p.: Sam [...] had it heavily in return on the phiz.
1836		M. Scott Cruise of the Midge I 160: I saw the devil himself first put his ugly fiz up in the middle of the peasoup.
1836		‘To A Knocking Shop We’ll Go’ in Frisky Vocalist 27: We’ll have a glass of grog, / At Mother H.’s, oh! / It will freshen up your phizog.
1841		True Flash (NY) 4 Dec. n.p.: The physog of Carter presented a woeful appearance.
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 6 Aug. n.p.: Man of the phiz so dissipated, / ’Tis such as you who are to blame.
1843		Satirist & Sporting Chron. (Sydney) 4 Mar. 2/4: The fists of the Brothers were visiting each other’s nob or physog with every description of feeling.
1845		Bell’s Life in Sydney 13 Dec. 3/2: From the dejected phiz of the reciter [...] we are much disposed to believe that he really meant it.
1845		J. Lindridge Sixteen-String Jack 125: Says, Jack, says he, with his knowing phiz, / I ain’t werry pertic’lar who it is!
1845		Bell’s Life in Sydney 6 Sept. 4/1: His fives were clinch’d, his brow was knit, his physiog was wan.
1848		Sinks of London Laid Open 79: Neither of these had a greater effect than had the blue physog. of a police sergeant showing his awe-inspiring self in at the door.
1851		M. Reid Scalp-Hunters II 166: Let’s git a squint at yur phisog.
1855		N.Y. Daily Trib. 7 Sept. 7/4: Calls were made for the Police, but not one of that fraternity showed his phiz until it was all over.
1855		Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 14 Apr. n.p.: If he doesn’t ‘dry up’ his phisog, will appear more swelled than it is at present.
1854		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Aug. 90/2: Did not the men / Each with a grin upon his ugly phiz / Whisper in Hindoostanee.
1855		(con. 1852) Fights for the Championship 252: Both [...] permitted their seconds to wipe their phisogs for them.
1857		Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 11 Apr. n.p.: Dick [...] planted one in return full on the fiz of his opponent.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 74: PHYSOG, or phiz, the face.
1860		‘George Eliot’ Mill on the Floss (1985) I 84: As different as possible from poor Maggie’s phiz.
1867		‘Johnny Cross’ ‘Down Near The Battery’ in Orig. Pontoon Songster 41: He fell in love with this young gal [...] From seeing her phizog painted, on an omnibus door.
1871		C. Money Knocking About in N.Z. 50: Such an expression of misery on his pale little phiz.
1879		London Life 23 Aug. 7/1: [T]here is little of the milk of human kindness visible on any phisog. to be seen.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 293: His handsome phiz was also in some danger of being spoiled.
1881		Dundee Courier (Scot.) 25 Feb. 6/6: He comes out again, with a grin on his shining fiz’.
1881		Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Jan. 4/4: The beam of hilarity shone like a starry meteor in Dan’s eye, and there was a pucker upon the classic phiz. of J. D. Young.
1882		Dundee Courier (Scot.) 8 Sept. 7/3: She knows my physog too well.
1883		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 17 Nov. 10/2: ‘Can’t you turn up a champion who will take a good thumpoing for the sake of seeing his “physog” in such good company?’.
1883		Lincoln Co. Leader (NM) 16 June 3/3: Then this bummer still beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, / By the quaint and swell gravity of the physiog he wore.
1887		W.S. Gilbert ‘Only A Dancing Girl’ Fifty ‘Bab’ Ballads 22: With her skirt at her shameful knee, / And her painted, tainted phiz.
1888		R. Barnett Police Sergeant C 21 156: What fellow would be fool enough to risk ruin for a phisimiog like that!
1894		Truth (Sydney) 30 Sept. 1/4: His phiz would interlace / With genial smiles.
1894		Mirror of Life 27 Jan. 3/3: [H]e was forced to apply his handkerchief to his brown to keep his physog dry.
1895		J. Caminada Twenty-Five Years of Detective Life I 11: Now then! sit up! let’s look at your phizzogs!
1899		A.C. Gunter M.S. Bradford Special 48: ‘Whew!’ whistles the ward man [...] ‘By the Lord, you’re a cute one!’ and goes away with a very knowing look on his phiz.
1900		Marvel XV:367 Nov. 6: Old Kruger’s phis is stamped on it.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 16 Feb. 312: About as rascally a phiz as you ever set eyes on.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 17 Jan. 12/3: I know your phiz, mate, but can’t place you.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 16 Oct. 4/8: The prad walks on yer phizog just to let you know ’ees there.
1911		Truth (Sydney) 1 Jan. 8/3: With that he fetches, / Straight from out his pocket-book, / Of the phizog of his cliner.
1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 60: moosh, moush [...] The human face; the physiog.
1914		Truth (Melbourne) 10 Jan. 5/7: he knows by the physiog of a flat punter whether he is winning or losing.
1915		C.J. Dennis ‘Uncle Jim’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 93: Then orl at once ’e grips me ’and in ’is: / ‘Some’ow,’ ’e sez, ‘I likes yer ugly phiz.’.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 117: I ought to have said something about an old hat or something. No, I could have said. Looks as good as new now. See his phiz then. [Ibid.] 290: And, begob, I saw his physog do a peep in and then slidder off again.
1924		W. James Drifting Cowboy (1931) 126: Never let me see your homely phizog again.
1933		M. Marshall Tramp-Royal on the Toby 74: If these castaways are so enamoured of the masculine mug and the feminine physog as they pretend to be, what the devil are they doing there?
1934		H. Miller Tropic of Cancer (1963) 189: I didn’t like very much the idea of advertising my physiog in the company of these élite.
1934		R. Sale ‘A Nose for News’ in Goulart (1967) 200: When you see this intelligent phiz again.
1946		(con. 1912) B. Marshall George Brown’s Schooldays 16: Just before the prefect shuts the door in their physogs.
1947		Sun. Times (Perth) 18 May 11s/1: I’ve been turning back the pages of my old sporting scrap-book — looking down Cauliflower Row. Fistic phizzogs that have thrilled the fans.
1949		N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 5: The veteran’s flat, placid, deadpan phiz.
1955		D. Niland Shiralee 58: I’ve got to fillet your ugly phiz with your own broken bottle.
1958		A. Sillitoe Sat. Night and Sun. Morning 176: A government that puts stamps all over your phizzog until you can’t see a hand before you.
1959		I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 214: ‘Shut yer face’ – ‘fizzog’ – ‘flycatcher’ – or, ‘gate’.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 64: Meaning, whose phizog and monniker was on the head side?
1977		(con. 1961) J. Rosenthal Spend, Spend, Spend Scene 72: [Mother gives her a dirty look] What’s up with your fizzog?
1978		S. King Stand (1990) 43: You will spend eternity with your phiz in a bowl of soup.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 10: ‘One of the other mugs took a swing at Awful and collected him on the fizz’.
1989		S. Armitage ‘All Bee and Skittles’ in Zoom 17: By the time we got back [...] Fairbrother had scarpered and Gideon’s fizzog / said he couldn’t be bothered.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 193: Choko McGruder found himself looking up into the frightening fizz of none other than Heavy Harold.
1998		K. Sampson Awaydays 24: I go to the gents and contemplate my fizzog in the mirror.
1999		Guardian 9 Oct. 28: Six glum phizogs decorate the first inside page.
1999		Indep. Rev. 23 July 11: I hope we get another chance to gaze upon his magnificent phiz.
2000		Guardian Rev. 27 May 12: Dennis the Menace and I stamp our phizogs on the Royal Mail.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 14: A bolt back anothuh glass uv wine an wash me phiz under thuh cold tap.
2009		L. McIlvanney All the Colours 175: [T]he smutty, rum-flushed phiz of a squaddy in a Great War postcard.
2011		Observer 9 Jan. 28/3: The question is why Ramsay would have any expensive treatments to his phizog at all.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 32: ‘[H]ot blutwurst breath on our fizzers’.

2. a photograph.

1880		N.Z. Observer (Auckland) 25 Sept. 11/4: I thank you for my phiz, / Also for dubbing me a poet.
1921		N&Q 12 Ser. IX 466: Phizog. Photograph.