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"cara de..." in English

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aleCcowaN
June 11, 2011, 10:15 AM
I was watching some amateur clips in Youtube and I came across an action short which surpassed the usual quality of good amateur productions displayed there, not only in one aspect but many.

To find out if some professional actors and stuntmen were involved in the project, I googled the first name billed in the cast and instead of an IMDB page or something less glamorous, I was led to an arrest record synopsis containing a mugshot of him, happened a few years ago in some obscure county in the US' Deep South.

http://forums.tomisimo.org/picture.php?albumid=76&pictureid=708http://forums.tomisimo.org/picture.php?albumid=76&pictureid=707

When I saw the mugshot I though «¡Qué cara de "¿cómo vine a parar acá?"» that is, the guy wondering what was the chain of events and unfortunate decisions that got him handcuffed. How can I say it in English? Which are the different ways in English -formal and informal- to describe a situation departing from a facial expression?

Any insight and corrections are welcome

[I'm not sharing any information about short or person that may reveal his identity as it nauseated me that the name and image of a person can be showed as a police record without specifying any cause for the arrest nor evidence of a court procedure following that arrest which may have involved conviction or not. Shame of a website that one, violating basic civil rights!]

Perikles
June 11, 2011, 10:54 AM
I«¡Qué cara de "¿cómo vine a parar acá?"»

. Shame of:bad: a website that one,Shame on the website (I think this is actually a hortative subjunctive with ellipsed verb - may shame be brought on the website :thinking:) Anyway, I can't come up with anything better than 'expression' or 'look' at the moment.

What an expression of 'what am I doing here?'
What an look of 'what am I doing here?' :thinking:

Rusty
June 11, 2011, 01:37 PM
What an expression of "How'd I end up here?"

aleCcowaN
June 12, 2011, 05:18 AM
Thank you both! I can figure myself thinking "What a look of «how'd I end up here?»".

Is there in English a set structure and usage to match Spanish expressions involving the face?

Puso cara de pocos amigos.
Con cara de haber chupado limones.
Miró con cara de asco.
¡Lo miró con una cara!

Rusty
June 12, 2011, 06:27 AM
He had a sullen | glum look. He had a dark scowl. He had a sour look.
With a sour-pucker face.
She gave him a scornful look | look of disgust.
She gave him that look. (The 'look' could mean just about anything, but mostly it is of disdain. I'm not sure if this is what you meant.)

chileno
June 12, 2011, 07:12 AM
Poker face
Pucker face
Unfriendly face

Nada como lo usamos nosotros.

aleCcowaN
July 01, 2011, 01:08 PM
Thanks everybody for those examples, corrections and comments!

poli
July 01, 2011, 01:23 PM
A common expression: A face that only a mother can love

Another expression: what's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?

CrOtALiTo
July 06, 2011, 07:56 PM
A common expression: A face that only a mother can love

Another expression: what's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?

Hahahahha nice your commentary about it.:D