"A shadow passed over his face" ?
Hello,

I came across this expression: "A shadow passed over his face."

The expression described a boy who was asked if he missed the joy of an adventure his father asked him to go through, and which left him with a scar on his face.

Does it mean that his face darkened? and if so, did it happen for a second or did it take a while?

Thank you!

Question

"A shadow passed over his face" ?
Hello,

I came across this expression: "A shadow passed over his face."

The expression described a boy who was asked if he missed the joy of an adventure his father asked him to go through, and which left him with a scar on his face.

Does it mean that his face darkened? and if so, did it happen for a second or did it take a while?

Thank you!

Answer

Yes, this is a descriptive way of saying someone expression changed to a more negative emotion, fear sadness anger, usually for a few seconds then returns to normal

Answer

The idea is more emotional than physical. So his face showed some darker emotion(s) (fear / hate / anger) for a few seconds and then went back to normal. As someone who doesn't really see that sort of thing, it's a little hard for me to describe!