Crossword Genius

The expression of a hard-faced expert (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

grimace

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'the expression' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'a hard-faced expert' is the wordplay.
'a hard faced' becomes 'grim' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'expert' becomes 'ace' (ace can informally mean very good).
'grim'+'ace'='GRIMACE'

'of' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for grimace that I've seen before include "Nasty expression" , "Distorted facial expression" , "(Make) a wry face" , "Pained expression" , "displeasure" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News and The Irish Independent.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.