supervisor makes a sarcastic statement

It means the face of the statement.
Even if the hearer were together with the speaker
and had good vision, the face of the speaker is NOT significant.

Face value means not going more deeply into the meaning of the statement; no look for deeper meaning.





David

It was understood to mean exactly what the words meant. The sarcasm was not detected.

'Face value' is a fairly common expression, by the way. It can be used to mean that documents are accepted as genuine, or that a statement is not dishonest, and many similar things.

To "take something at face value" means to take it literally.

No underlying irony or sarcasm would be detected.

And please note, this has nothing to do with the face of a person. It means "on the surface".

The term mean to take the comment for it most literal, direct and lest complex meaning possible and not looking for a deeper or hidden meanings such as it being in fact a sarcastic comment.

When my relationship was new with my now wife I made a simple literal statement on an important matter and found out years later that she and her one daughter spend great efforts looking for hidden messages that did not in fact exist.