Smirk

For the financial derivatives markets term, see volatility smile.
Look up smirk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
A smirk

A smirk is a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness, falling into the category of what Desmond Morris described as Deformed-Compliments Signals.[1]

A smirk may also be an affected, ingratiating smile,[2] as in Mr Bennet's description of Mr Wickham as making smirking love to all his new in-laws in the novel Pride and Prejudice.[3]

Etymology

The term has been derived from the Middle English smirken, and linked to Old English terms for smiling and for derision.[4]

Historical examples

George Puttenham in the 16th century described what he called “a mock with a scornful countenance as in some smiling sort looking aside”.[5]

"A constant smirk upon the face, and a whiffling activity of the body, are strong indications of futility," the Earl of Chesterfield once wrote in a letter to his son.[6]

Therapy

Fritz Perls considered the most difficult patients to be the clever know-it-alls, recognisable by what he called “a specific kind of smile, a kind of smirk, a smirk that says, 'Oh, you're an idiot! I know better. I can outwit you and control you'”.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Desmond Morris, Manwatching (1977) p. 188-9
  2. ↑ B. Kirkpatrick ed., Roget's Thesaurus (1996) p. 572
  3. ↑ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (PEL 1975) p. 341
  4. ↑ The Free Dictionary
  5. ↑ Quoted in B. Ford ed., The Age of Shakespeare (1973) p. 72
  6. ↑ Tegg, William (1861). Lord Chesterfield's Advice To His Son On Men And Manners. London, England: Bibliotheca Bodleiana.
  7. ↑ F. Perls, Gestalt Therapy Verbatim (1973) p. 79

Further Reading

L. Konstantinou, Wipe That Smirk Off Your Face (2011)

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