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Discussion Groups / British English / October 2007Description of facial expression
I am looking for an apt description of the expression on this child's face: http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s173/Maestro_50/baby.jpg I don't think it is a pout, nor a scowl. "Unhappy" is too generic. What is it? Disgust? -- Maestro > I am looking for an apt description of the expression on this child's > face: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I don't think it is a pout, nor a scowl. "Unhappy" is too generic. > What is it? Disgust? It looks like the baby has just been fed something extremely sour. But I can't think of a single word to describe it. Cheers Tony  SignatureTony Mountifield Work: tony@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk Play: tony@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org On Oct 10, 12:39 pm, t...@softins.clara.co.uk (Tony Mountifield) wrote: > In article <1192008871.180608.275...@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>, > > <ch.maes...@gmail.com> wrote: > It looks like the baby has just been fed something extremely sour. > But I can't think of a single word to describe it. I see that photobucket has blocked the full photo to which I linked. Better so, perhaps, as it would distract from the child's face, which is all that I am concerned about. I have received another suggestion: constipation. Of course, constipation is not a description for a facial expression but I can easily imagine a constipated child, sitting on the pot and squeezing hard, making that face. A grimace, then. "Grimace brought on by constipation" as a caption for the picture. No, better just "grimace" and leave it to the viewer to contemplate its cause, like with Mona Lisa's smile, which has led to much speculation. I can also imagine the grimace being caused by the child's having been fed something unpleasant. More likely, much more, even, than constipation. With constipation, the mouth would be different, I think. http://picasaweb.google.com/ch.maestro/Maestro/photo?authkey=iyRrknB7nxY#5120277 149128242338 Will people speculate about the cause of this grimace hundreds of years hence, like people do today about Mona Lisa's smile? :) ch.maestro@gmail.com schrieb: > On Oct 10, 12:39 pm, t...@softins.clara.co.uk (Tony Mountifield) > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > Will people speculate about the cause of this grimace hundreds of > years hence, like people do today about Mona Lisa's smile? :) Heii. i am from austria and i make a project do you write with me?? At 03:02:25 on Fri, 12 Oct 2007, ch.maestro@gmail.com wrote in <1192158145.656412.72910@k35g2000prh.googlegroups.com>: >I have received another suggestion: constipation. Of course, >constipation is not a description for a facial expression but I can >easily imagine a constipated child, sitting on the pot and squeezing >hard, making that face. I don't think a child of that age would squeeze and strain that hard, not being old enough to know that it was expected to produce anything. (In fact, a small child about to poo adopts a blank, inward-looking facial expression; those in the know can spot that expression and, if necessary, have time to take swift action if the child is nappiless.) >I can also imagine the grimace being caused by the child's having been >fed something unpleasant. More likely, much more, even, than >constipation. With constipation, the mouth would be different, I >think. Looked to me as though the child had bitten into a lemon. SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) >On Oct 10, 12:39 pm, t...@softins.clara.co.uk (Tony Mountifield) >wrote: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Better so, perhaps, as it would distract from the child's face, which >is all that I am concerned about. I react differently to this removal of the full picture. The original had the mother's breast on the left with the grimacing baby on the right. One possible interpretation is that the baby has recoiled from the nipple and is grimacing at an unpleasant taste. Possibly the mother has applied the *wrong* lotion. Without the breast in the picture there is no way of knowing what the baby may be responding to. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in uk.culture.language.english) > I am looking for an apt description of the expression on this child's > face: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I don't think it is a pout, nor a scowl. "Unhappy" is too generic. > What is it? Disgust? Distaste? >> I am looking for an apt description of the expression on this child's >> face: [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Distaste? The expression appears to be a "grimace": http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/grimace?view=uk grimace noun an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement. In this case I think the baby might have been showing disgust, annoyance or distaste. I think "wry amusement" is outside the repertoire of a baby. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in uk.culture.language.english) >>> I am looking for an apt description of the expression on this >>> child's face: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > grimace That's it. But as the OP asks further on, why? > noun an ugly, twisted expression on a person's face, expressing > disgust, pain, or wry amusement. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > I think "wry amusement" is outside the repertoire of a baby. Hmm, I'm not so sure. > I am looking for an apt description of the expression on this child's > face: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I don't think it is a pout, nor a scowl. "Unhappy" is too generic. > What is it? Disgust? A grimace? > ch.maes...@gmail.com wrote: > A grimace? Looking at that face again I get the impression that the baby is crying or about to cry, suffering some discomfort or pain. I didn't want you to get distracted but now I give you the full picture from which that face was cut out: http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s173/Maestro_50/breast-feeding.jpg Somebody -- outside this forum -- has suggested that some milk got squirted into his eyes :) -- Maestro |
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