Pressed his face to the ground/ to cover (hide) one's face (head) (in shame)/ "to press one's face into the ground"/ "he lowered his gaze"
Lowered his gaze to the ground and hid his face while looking downward. Figuratively: became embarrassed or flustered.
("Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach said to him: King Jannai, stand on your feet and they will testify against you! For you are not standing before us, but before the One who spoke and the world came into being..." Jannai said to him: "Not as you say, but as your fellows will say." He turned to his right, and they pressed their faces to the ground; he turned to his left, and they pressed their faces to the ground. Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach said to them: "Men of thoughts, let the One with thoughts come and punish you" - Sanhedrin 19b, and also: "Mother stood and listened, and when he left our house, she pressed her face into her apron, and her shoulders trembled" - Shalom Aleichem / HaS, Yom Tov Hu Milivkot, 9, and also: "They pressed their faces to the ground in shame, and the wind among the mourners was sobbing and weeping: woe, woe for the desecration of the Name, and woe, woe for the insult to the Torah" - Bialik / Yom HaShishi HaKatzar, 4, 162, and also: "They press their faces to the ground and sigh over the desecration of the Name, saying: alas, sour grapes of a son of wine" - Agnon / Eilu va-Eilu, Ma'aglei Tzedek, 313)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
כָּבַשׁ פָּנָיו בַּקַּרְקַע
Definition (Hebrew)
הִשְׁפִּיל אֶת מַבָּטוֹ לַקַּרְקַע. הִסְתִּיר אֶת פָּנָיו תּוֹךְ מַבָּט בַּקַּרְקַע. בְּהַשְׁאָלָה: הִתְבַּיֵּשׁ אוֹ הָיָה נָבוֹךְ.
("אָמַר לוֹ שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטָח: יַנַּאי הַמֶּלֶךְ עֲמֹד עַל רַגְלֶיךָ וְיָעִידוּ בְּךָ!, וְלֹא לְפָנֵינוּ אַתָּה עוֹמֵד אֶלָּא לִפְנֵי מִי שֶׁאָמַר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם אַתָּה עוֹמֵד...אָמַר לוֹ (יַנַּאי): לֹא כְּשֶׁתֹּאמַר אַתָּה אֶלָּא כְּמָה שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ חֲבֵרֶיךָ. נִפְנָה לִימִינוֹ, כָּבְשׁוּ פְּנֵיהֶם בַּקַּרְקַע, נִפְנָה לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ וְכָבְשׁוּ פְּנֵיהֶם בַּקַּרְקַע. אָמַר לָהֶן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטַח: בַּעֲלֵי מַחְשָׁבוֹת אַתֶּם יָבֹא בַּעַל מַחְשָׁבוֹת וְיִפָּרַע מִכֶּם"- סַנְהֶדְרִין יט ע"ב, וְכֵן:"אִמָּא עוֹמֶדֶת וְשׁוֹמַעַת, וּכְשֶׁהוּא יוֹצֵא מִבֵּיתֵנוּ, הִיא כּוֹבֶשֶׁת פָּנֶיהָ בְּסִנָּרָהּ וּכְתֵפֶיהָ רוֹעֲדוֹת"- שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם/ הַס, יוֹם טוֹב הוּא מִלִּבְכּוֹת, ט, וְכֵן:"כָּבְשׁוּ פְּנֵיהֶם בַּקַּרְקַע מִבּוּשָׁה וְהָרוּחַ בֵּין הַבְּכָאִים הָיְתָה מִתְיַפַּחַת וּבוֹכָה: אוֹי אוֹי מֵחִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם, וְאוֹי אוֹי מֵעֶלְבּוֹנָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה"- בְּיָאלִיק/ יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי הַקָּצָר, ד, קסב, וְכֵן:"כּוֹבְשִׁים פְּנֵיהֶם בַּקַּרְקַע וּמִתְאַנְּחִים עַל חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם וְאוֹמְרִים הוֹי חֹמֶץ בֶּן יַיִן"- עַגְנוֹן/ אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ, מַעְגְּלֵי צֶדֶק, 313)