hold one’s head down—(also: hang one’s head down) let one’s head fall forward, usually when feeling sad or ashamed of oneself:
- This man was drinking booze and holding his head down in despair. He knew that he had wasted a lot of his life…
keep one’s head down—
1. = hold one’s head down:
- When he saw me, his shoulders drooped and he kept his head down in shame and fear, even as he sat down to eat.
2. avoid attention; remain inconspicuous:
- Walsh kept his head down, not speaking out publicly even during the embarrassing wildcat strike that paralyzed the airline.
Note: Neither expression fully correlates in meaning with the phrase put one’s head down—
1. = hold one’s head down:
- Bill put down his head in mockery of the bull and grunted like him, whereat we laughed yet more.
2. go to sleep; take a nap:
- It was probably the first time he had been able to put his head down since the illness reached its most critical stages.
3. start to concentrate and work hard at smth.:
- They wanted me to put my head down and work so I could get into a good college and have a great career.