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A somewhat similar expression of countenance, indicative of satisfaction combined with malevolent feelings, as contempt, scorn, etc; as, a scornful smile.

The act of snarling; a growl; a surly or peevish expression; an angry contention.

To show contempt by turning up the nose, or by a particular facial expression.

To turn up the nose and inhale air, as an expression of contempt; hence, to take offense. Do the enemies of the church rage and snuff Bp. Hall.

the meanness and familiarty of the thoughts, has something beautiful and sonorous in the expression. Addison. There is nothing of the artificial Johnsonian balance in his style. It is as often marked by a pregnant brevity as by a sonorous amplitude. E. Everett.

ion, liberty, and property. Macaulay. In consequence of their greater command of specious expression. J. Morley.

ate sounds; the power of speaking. There is none comparable to the variety of instructive expressions by speech, wherewith man alone is endowed for the communication of his thoughts. Holder.

A derogatory expression for a person; one who is inert or stupid; as, an odd stick; a poor stick. [Colloq.]

rain the law in order to convict an accused person. There can be no other meaning in this expression, however some may pretend to strain it. Swift.

Vigor or style; force of expression; nervous diction; -- said of literary work. And praise the easy vigor of a life Where Denham's strength and Waller's sweetness join. Pope.

ing thought in language, whether oral or written; especially, such use of language in the expression of thought as exhibits the spirit and faculty of an artist; choice or arrangement of words in discourse; rhetorical expression. High style, as when that men to kinges write. Chaucer. Style is the dress of thoughts. Ches…

Object, n., 2. The philosophers of mind have, in a manner, usurped and appropriated this expression to themselves. Accordingly, in their hands, the phrases conscious or thinking subject, and subject, mean precisely the same thing. Sir W. Hamilton.

ing a controverted question, or in the choice of a man for an office or trust; the formal expression of an opinion; assent; vote. I ask your voices and your suffrages. Shak.

urds; not capable of being expressed in rational numbers; radical; irrational; as, a surd expression or quantity; a surd number.

to that which bears the head, effigy, or date; the reverse; -- rarely used except in the expression "heads or tails," employed when a coin is thrown up for the purpose of deciding some point by its fall.

Involving tautology; having the same signification; as, tautological expression. -- Tau`to*log"ic*al*ly, adv. Tautological echo, an echo that repeats the same sound or syllable many times.

To take effect; to produce a marked effect; as, every shot tells; every expression tells. To tell of. (a) To speak of; to mention; to narrate or describe. (b) To inform against; to disclose some fault of. -- To tell on, to inform against. [Archaic & Colloq.] Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David. 1 Sam. xx…

ed to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic; as, tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain.

A word or expression; specifically, one that has a precisely limited meaning in certain relations and uses, or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or the like; as, a technical term. "Terms quaint of law." Chaucer. In painting, the greatest beauties can not always be expressed for want of terms. Dryden.…

A mode of speech peculiar to the Teutons; a Teutonic idiom, phrase, or expression; a Teutonic mode or custom; a Germanism.