Smirk

Smirk

A smirk (from the Old English "smercian", "smile") refers to a smile evoking insolence, scorn, or offensive smugness. "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. [http://www.bartleby.com/66/13/11913.html] A smirk also refers to a fine piece of dust when it enters the eye. This often leads to an uncomfortable feeling, and results in the sufferer searching in their eye to remove the foreign item. This can cause the sufferer to pull a face similar to that of a smirk, hence the nameFact|date=January 2008.


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Synonyms:
, , , (affectedly),


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  • smirk — [smə:k US smə:rk] v [: Old English; Origin: smearcian [i] to smile ] to smile in an unpleasant way that shows that you are pleased by someone else s bad luck or think you are better than other people ▪ The boys tried not to smirk. smirk at ▪ What …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • smirk|y — «SMUR kee», adjective, smirk|i|er, smirk|i|est. of the nature of a smirk; simpering: »a smirky smile …   Useful english dictionary

  • Smirk — Smirk, n. A forced or affected smile; a simper. [1913 Webster] The bride, all smirk and blush, had just entered. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Smirk — Smirk, a. Nice,; smart; spruce; affected; simpering. So smirk, so smooth. Spenser. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • smirk — smirk·er; smirk·ing·ly; smirk; …   English syllables

  • Smirk — Smirk, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Smirked}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Smirking}.] [OE. smirken, ASS. smercian, smearcian; cf. MHG. smieren, smielen, to smile. See {Smile}, v. i.] To smile in an affected or conceited manner; to smile with affected complaisance;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • smirk — [ smɜrk ] verb intransitive to smile in an unpleasant way because something bad has happened to someone else, or because you think you have achieved an advantage over them ╾ smirk noun count …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • smirk — vb simper, grin, *smile smirk n simper, grin, smile (see under SMILE vb) …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • smirk — (v.) O.E. smearcian to smile. No exact cognates in other languages, but perhaps related to smerian to laugh at (see SMILE (Cf. smile) (v.)). Related: Smirked; smirking. The noun is recorded by 1560s …   Etymology dictionary

  • smirk — [n] sly smile beam, grin, leer, simper, smug look, sneer; concept 185 …   New thesaurus

  • smirk — ► VERB ▪ smile in an irritatingly smug or silly way. ► NOUN ▪ a smug or silly smile. DERIVATIVES smirker noun smirky adjective. ORIGIN Old English, related to SMILE(Cf. ↑smile) …   English terms dictionary

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