Transcript of “Smurm, The Little Smile You Give To Passing Strangers”
Linda from Wichita, Kansas wrote us to say that we need a word for that closed mouth little smile that you give to somebody when you pass them on the street or in a store when you want to acknowledge that person, but you really don’t know them. So you can’t give them a big old toothy smile and she would like to suggest the word smurm, s-m-u-r-m, smurm, smurm, smurm. I’m just maybe, but it’s so close to smarm, which sounds like you don’t mean it. I liked it just because it sounds like smirk.
Yeah, you know when when you try to give somebody a smile but but it’s obligatory, you know? It’s not one of those Duchenne smiles where your your face lights up. It’s just, yeah, that little for dudes, it’s sometimes like the chin jet. You just kind of push your chin out or you raise your eyebrows because you don’t want to be too familiar because you might be sending romantic signals that you don’t mean to.
And the same for anybody. You just kind of got to be careful that it’s like, I see you. I know you’re human. I’m a human, too. Bye-bye. That’s all you’re saying. You’re just smurming.
I mean, it sounds like smurf, too, I guess, but smurm. I like it. Okay, maybe. I could grow on me. Do you have a better word? Let us know. 877-929-9673. Or send us a tweet. We’re at Wayword.
