wry
wry / rī/ • adj. (wry·er, wry·est or wri·er, wri·est) 1. using or expressing dry, esp. mocking, humor: a wry smile wry comments.2. (of a person's face or features) twisted into an expression of disgust, disappointment, or annoyance. ∎ archaic (of the neck or features) distorted or turned to one side: a remedy for wry necks.DERIVATIVES: wry·ly adv.wry·ness n.ORIGIN: early 16th cent. (in the sense ‘contorted’): from Old English wrīgian ‘tend, incline,’ in Middle English ‘deviate, swerve, contort.’
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express , ex·press1 / ikˈspres/ • v. [tr.] 1. convey (a thought or feeling) in words or by gestures and conduct: he expressed complete satisfaction. ∎ (express… anglicism , ANGLICIZE AmE & BrE, Anglicise AusE & BrE [with and without an initial capital].
1. To make (someone or something) English in nationality, culture, o… Expression , ex·pres·sion / ikˈspreshən/ • n. 1. the process of making known one's thoughts or feelings: she accepted his expressions of sympathy. ∎ the conveying… quirk , quirk / kwərk/ • n. 1. a peculiar behavioral habit: his distaste for travel is an endearing quirk. ∎ a strange chance occurrence: a strange quirk of… Norse , NORSE Also Old Norse, Scandinavian, and (with particular reference to its use in England) DANISH. The SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES in an early, relatively… Ancren Riwle , Ancren Riwle (äng´krĕn rē´ōōlə) or Ancrene Wisse (äng´krĕnə wĬs´ə) [Mid. Eng.,=anchoresses' rule], English tract written c.1200 by an anonymous Engli…
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