The sitter appears to be bald, although there are some faint traces of fair hair, leading Erwin Panofsky to conclude that his "countenance is as 'Nordic' as his dress is Burgundian".
As the old saw has it, faint heart never won fair lady.
"Faint heart never won fair lady," Ferguson pointed out before last year's semi-final against Arsenal and this was his mind-set against the Bundesliga's biggest name.
Faint heart never won fair lady or victory in war, Preston assures us: "Germany's great mistake, having sunk the Lusitania, was to edge slowly away from unrestricted submarine warfare".
She essayed her first speaking part at the age of six and took a substantial role in Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady, produced by her father and J.W. Wallack, Jr., in 1862.
Apples in the orchard Mellowing one by one; Strawberries upturning Soft cheeks to the sun; Roses faint with sweetness, Lilies fair of face, Drowsy scents and murmurs Haunting every place; Lengths of golden sunshine, Moonlight bright as day, Don't you think that summer's Pleasanter than early May? -- Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Marjorie's Almanac.
To be fair, the faintest flicker of an impulse to smile comes on page 129, with the observation that Fearne Cotton "would eat dogshit if it were for charity, she's good like that".
A faint heart never won a fair election.
"Faint heart ne'er won fair maiden, I guess".
His narrow blue eyes were always red-rimmed behind glasses, his fair skin raw with faint lines etched into his cheeks, his nose stuffed up.
