Timeline for What do we call the half closing of eyes?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2018 at 16:11 | comment | added | StackOverthrow | @J.R. Yes, that's exactly (and only) what the word "frown" means to me. | |
| Apr 6, 2018 at 14:12 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | @TKK & Deolater - The second listed meaning on Wiktionary is the one you and I (and probably many others) most expected to see, I think: A facial expression in which the corners of the mouth are pointed down. There's a 1911 quote there, too, illustrating that the usage of frown with a focus on the mouth isn't all that newfangled. | |
| Apr 6, 2018 at 4:44 | comment | added | Will Crawford | @TKK the pursed mouth you're describing is known in BrE as a moué | |
| Apr 6, 2018 at 4:02 | comment | added | Maulik V | Choosing this as it was written earlier than the other one. And yes, Mari-Lou, it perfectly addresses my concern. I was writing something where I needed to express this. +1 and selected! :) | |
| Apr 6, 2018 at 3:59 | vote | accept | Maulik V | ||
| Apr 5, 2018 at 22:00 | comment | added | StackOverthrow | @Mari-LouA The "upside down" saying is not so easily dismissed. This could be an example of an evolution of meaning, traceable by the history of a phrase. | |
| Apr 5, 2018 at 21:29 | comment | added | Mari-Lou A | @TKK I think you'll find that dictionaries were around well before emojis and emoticons. It's a bit difficult to draw a frowning expression on a smiley without making it look like it's angry, or perplexed. I'm quite surprised that a number of users did not know that the frown is expressed principally by the brow. | |
| Apr 5, 2018 at 21:26 | comment | added | StackOverthrow | @Deolater We probably both picked up from context that it refers to the mouth. For example, the common phrase "turn that frown upside down" makes no sense if it refers to the eyebrows. And a "frowny" emoticon depicts the mouth, not the eyebrows. I guess what we've learned here is that you can't trust dictionaries. | |
| Apr 5, 2018 at 21:14 | comment | added | Deolater | @TKK This is shocking to me, I have never heard "frown" used to describe brows, only mouth. Oddly enough, I can't find my definition in any dictionary. | |
| Apr 5, 2018 at 19:18 | comment | added | StackOverthrow | This is a prime example of how understanding can differ even between native speakers. I'm a middle aged native speaker of AmE, and I've always understood the word "frown" to describe the position of the mouth, not the eyebrows. | |
| Apr 5, 2018 at 12:15 | comment | added | Mari-Lou A | I'd like to point out that I was writing my answer when Marcus edited his answer (within the five-minute time limit) and added "narrow". I would not have posted a duplicate answer but for that. | |
| Apr 5, 2018 at 11:25 | history | answered | Mari-Lou A | CC BY-SA 3.0 |