Sneer

A sneer is a facial expression of scorn or disgust characterized by a slight raising of one corner
of the upper lip, known also as curling the lip or turning up the nose.[1] In The Expression of
Emotions in Man and Animals, Charles Darwin defined a "sneer" as "the upper lip being retracted
in such a manner that the canine tooth on one side of the face alone is shown"[2] Darwin related
the sneer to the snarl observed in non-human animals, particularly carnivores, observing that:

Depiction of sneering used in Darwin's

The Expression of Emotions in Man
and Animals

The uncovering of the canine tooth is

the result of a double movement. The
 angle or corner of the mouth is drawn a
little backwards, and at the same time a
muscle which runs parallel to and near
the nose draws up the outer part of the
upper lip, and exposes the canine on
this side of the face. The contraction of
this muscle makes a distinct furrow on
the cheek, and produces strong wrinkles
under the eye, especially at its inner
corner. The action is the same as that of
a snarling dog; and a dog when
pretending to fight often draws up the lip
on one side alone, namely that facing
his antagonist.[3]
It is suggested that the sneer is a universal expression of contempt[4] and that Darwin was the
first to observe this.[5] Cats may be observed to sneer, though this is probably related to the
Flehmen response.[6]
In popular culture

"Christ Carrying the Cross"

(1515 AD) by Hieronymus
Bosch — illustrating the
facial expression known as a
"sneer"

In Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë used

the sneer—as perceived by the novel's
narrator, the housekeeper Ellen Dean
("Nelly")—to epitomize the personality of
Heathcliff, the lead character.[7]
The horror genre actor Vincent Price
delivered his characters' lines with a
trademark sneer.[8][9]
Punk rock musician Billy Idol is also
known for a trademark sneer.
In the Harry Potter stories, Draco Malfoy
and his father are notorious for their
sinister sneers, which represent these
characters' sense of entitlement over
and contempt for those judged lacking
in monetary, power, or family
status.[10][11]
More than one commentator has
depicted pop culture judicial panels
such as those seen on American Idol
and Britain's Got Talent as regularly
 sneering upon their hapless
contestants.[12][13][14]
The cartoon character Cyril Sneer from
the Canadian series The Raccoons has a
sneer as his namesake.[15][16]
Former U.S. vice president Dick
Cheney's political opponents have at
times perceived him as looking upon
them with a sneer.[17][18]

See also

Sarcasm
Smirk
Snarl
References

1. The Power of the Sneer

Psychology
(https://news.google.co portal
m/newspapers?id=vjMT
Look up
AAAAIBAJ&pg=5298,44 sneer in
23791) , The Age, Apr Wiktionary,
the free
10, 1937
dictionary.
2. Charles Darwin, The
Wikiquote
Expression of Emotions has
in Man and Animals, quotations
related to
1872, pp 249-250 (htt
Sneer.
p://darwin-online.org.u
Wikimedia
k/content/frameset?ite
Commons
mID=F1142&viewtype=t has media
ext&pageseq=1) related to
Sneers.
3. Darwin, above; p. 251
4. Carroll E. Izard; O. Maurice Haynes (March
1988), "On the form and universality of the
contempt expression", Motivation and
Emotion, 12 (1): 1–16,
doi:10.1007/BF00992469 (https://doi.org/1
0.1007%2FBF00992469) ,
S2CID 145534507 (https://api.semanticsch
olar.org/CorpusID:145534507)
5. Joan C. Borod; Cornelia Santschi Haywood;
Elissa Koff (March 1997),
"Neuropsychological aspects of facial
asymmetry during emotional expression",
Neuropsychology Review, 7 (1): 41–60,
doi:10.1007/BF02876972 (https://doi.org/1
0.1007%2FBF02876972) , PMID 9243530
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/924353
0) , S2CID 23549147 (https://api.semantics
cholar.org/CorpusID:23549147)
6. Desmond Morris (1987), "Why Do Cats
Sneer?" (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=soZGAAAAYAAJ) , Cat watching, Crown
Publishers, p. 112, ISBN 9780517565186
7. 'My amiable lady!' he interrupted, with an
almost diabolical sneer on his face. 'Where
is she - my amiable lady?' (Chapter 2)|'Have
you been listening at the door, Edgar?'
asked the mistress, in a tone particularly
calculated to provoke her husband,
implying both carelessness and contempt
of his irritation. Heathcliff, who had raised
his eyes at the former speech, gave a
sneering laugh at the latter (Chapter
11)|'Yes, she's dead!' I answered, checking
my sobs and drying my cheeks. 'Gone to
heaven, I hope; where we may, every one,
join her, if we take due warning and leave
our evil ways to follow good!' 'Did she take
due warning, then?' asked Heathcliff,
attempting a sneer. 'Did she die like a saint?
(Chapter 16)|'Heathcliff did not glance my
way, and I gazed up, and contemplated his
features almost as confidently as if they
had been turned to stone. His forehead,
that I once thought so manly, and that I now
think so diabolical, was shaded with a
heavy cloud; his basilisk eyes were nearly
quenched by sleeplessness, and weeping,
perhaps, for the lashes were wet then: his
lips devoid of their ferocious sneer, and
sealed in an expression of unspeakable
sadness. Had it been another, I would have
covered my face in the presence of such
grief. In his case, I was gratified; and,
ignoble as it seems to insult a fallen enemy,
I couldn't miss this chance of sticking in a
dart: his weakness was the only time when
 I could taste the delight of paying wrong for
wrong.' (Chapter 17)| I could doubt no more:
he was dead and stark! I hasped the
window; I combed his black long hair from
his forehead; I tried to close his eyes: to
extinguish, if possible, that frightful, life-like
gaze of exultation before any one else
beheld it. They would not shut: they
seemed to sneer at my attempts; and his
parted lips and sharp white teeth sneered
too! (Chapter 34)
8. Smirk, sneer, and scream: great acting in
horror cinema (https://books.google.com/b
ooks?id=Y8MtgnIj5VQC&q=sneer) . Mark
Clark. McFarland, 2004. ISBN 0-7864-1932-
6. p.96
 9. Two for the Road: Our Love Affair with
American Food (https://books.google.com/
books?id=5O92XrQMbCYC&dq=Sneer+Vinc
ent+Price&pg=PA3) . Michael Stern.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007. ISBN 0-
618-87268-X. pp.2-3
10. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=-jtl-ZDxEFk
C&q=sneers&pg=PA51) . Elizabeth E.
Heilman. Taylor & Francis, 2008. ISBN 0-
415-96484-9. p.51
11. Reading Harry Potter: critical essays (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=-__ICQem
qaEC&dq=Draco+malfoy+sneer&pg=PA18
4) . Giselle Liza Anatol. Greenwood
Publishing Group, 2003. ISBN 0-313-32067-
5. p.184
12. YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a
Day (https://books.google.com/books?id=
WaBicMvGidsC&q=sneering&pg=PT275) .
Greg Jarboe. John Wiley and Sons, 2009.
ISBN 0-470-45969-7. p.245
13. Edges: assessment for learning in English
(https://books.google.com/books?id=qMJ
wVgETRf8C&dq=simon+cowell+sneer&pg=
PA78) . Imelda Pilgrim, Lindsay McNab,
Marian Slee, Cindy Torn. Heinemann, 2005.
ISBN 0-435-22730-0. p.78
14. Billboard (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=5xAEAAAAMBAJ&q=sneering&pg=RA
1-PA43) . May 4, 2002. p.43
15. Animated TV specials: the complete
directory to the first twenty-five years (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=us9kAAAA
MAAJ&q=Cyril+Sneer) . Scarecrow Press,
1989. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2
16. Billboard (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=7iQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Cyril+Snee
r%22&pg=RA1-PA49) . Jul 26, 1986. p.K-19
17. Fog Facts: Searching for Truth in the Land
of Spin (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=sHoEltj2QHsC&dq=sneer+dick+cheney&
pg=PA62) . Larry Beinhart. Nation Books,
2006. ISBN 1-56025-886-1. p.62
 18. Capitalists and conquerors: a critical
pedagogy against empire (https://books.go
ogle.com/books?id=8ZWKZEq6t6oC&dq=%
22Dick+Cheney%22+sneer&pg=PA2) .
Peter McLaren. Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.
ISBN 0-7425-4193-2. p.2

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