smart alecsmart aleckn.adj.

Brit.

/ˈsmɑːt ˌalɪk/, U.S.

/ˈsmɑrd ˌælək/

Forms:

α. 1800s smart eleck, 1800s– smart alec, 1800s– smart aleck (chiefly U.S.), 1800s– smart alick, 1900s– smart allick, 1900s– smart elick.

β. 1800s– smart alex (chiefly U.S.).

Also with capital initial(s).

Origin: From a proper name, combined with an English element. Etymons: smart adj., proper name Alec.

Etymology: < smart adj. + Alec, pet form of the male forename Alexander.It has been suggested that the name may originally have alluded to Aleck Hoag, a pickpocket and thief operating in New York in the 1840s, although no contemporary evidence of the name being applied to him has been found, and it first appears rather later in a different part of the United States. See further G. L. Cohen Stud. in Slang (1985) I. 85–105.

colloquial (originally U.S.).

A. n.

A person who is (or wishes to seem) clever and knowing, but is regarded as annoyingly smug or obnoxious; a ‘know-it-all’; (also occasionally) one who is ostentatiously smart in dress or manner.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > would-be clever person > [noun]

clever-boots1847

smarty1847

smart alec1864

clever-clogs1866

clever-sides1886

clever Dick1895

wise guy1896

wisenheimer1904

smarty-pants1935

quiz kid1940

smart apple1940

smarty-boots1950

smart-ass1958

slick1959

clever-sticks1964

smart-arse1965

wise-ass1971

1864 N.Y. Clipper 2 Jan. 300/4 He took it into his head to establish something new, whereby he could laugh in his sleeve at the ‘smart Alecs’ of Albany town, and started a saloon with no other performance than a piano and violin.

1873 J. H. Beadle Undeveloped West vii. 140 I had the pleasure of seeing at least a score of ‘smart Alecks’ relieved of their surplus cash.

1887 F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin 312 You may talk about..your Smart Alicks, and your Joe-dandies and daisies.

1904 W. N. Harben Georgians ix. 92 Thar was a smart Alec of a feller from Little Dogtrot over in the mountains.

1934 C. Stead Seven Poor Men of Sydney vi. 184 Rawson, from the Trades Hall, ready, assured, blatant, a political opportunist, whom Joseph called a ‘real smart-alec’.

1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? xii. 221 He's a smart-aleck. I can see already he thinks he knows more than I do.

1979 L. Meynell Hooky & Villainous Chauffeur vii. 99 Smart alec, aren't you? Smart and smug like all you intellectual lot.

2000 Reader's Digest Oct. 132/2 Pint-sized smart alecs on sitcoms and rude guests on talk shows seem ubiquitous nowadays.

B. adj.

Smugly clever; ‘know-it-all’. Cf. smart-alecky adj.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > would-be clever person > [adjective]

smarty1850

smart alec1877

clever-clever1896

wise guy1920

slick1921

smarty-pants1932

wisenheimer1937

smart-ass1951

smart-assed1957

smart-arsed1962

smarty-boots1962

smart-arse1965

wise-assed1967

wise-ass1971

1877 Logansport (Indiana) Jrnl. 10 Nov. 4 The shock of the discovery that the editor..would like to accomplish a spiteful, Smart Alec trick, was the only result.

1902 G. H. Lorimer in Sat. Evening Post 22 Feb. 11/1 You're just about due now to run into a smart Aleck buyer.

1929 A. C. Edington & C. Edington Studio Murder Myst. iii. 30 That smart alec lawyer.

1956 C. V. Wedgwood Lit. & Historian 9 The imitators of Lytton Strachey managed by their smart-aleck antics to obscure for a long decade what was really valuable in the new approach to biography.

1964 L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence ii. ii. 33 I'm bored with their smart-aleck talk!

1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 40 Smart alec-paragraphs about innocent tripe-and-onions with tittian voluptuaries?

2004 Parents Jan. 131 Does your child have a smart-aleck answer for everything? Teach him how to lose the attitude.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	smart alec
释义	smart alecsmart aleckn.adj. Brit. /ˈsmɑːt ˌalɪk/, U.S. /ˈsmɑrd ˌælək/ Forms: α. 1800s smart eleck, 1800s– smart alec, 1800s– smart aleck (chiefly U.S.), 1800s– smart alick, 1900s– smart allick, 1900s– smart elick. β. 1800s– smart alex (chiefly U.S.). Also with capital initial(s). Origin: From a proper name, combined with an English element. Etymons: smart adj., proper name Alec. Etymology: < smart adj. + Alec, pet form of the male forename Alexander.It has been suggested that the name may originally have alluded to Aleck Hoag, a pickpocket and thief operating in New York in the 1840s, although no contemporary evidence of the name being applied to him has been found, and it first appears rather later in a different part of the United States. See further G. L. Cohen Stud. in Slang (1985) I. 85–105. colloquial (originally U.S.). A. n. A person who is (or wishes to seem) clever and knowing, but is regarded as annoyingly smug or obnoxious; a ‘know-it-all’; (also occasionally) one who is ostentatiously smart in dress or manner. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > would-be clever person > [noun] clever-boots1847 smarty1847 smart alec1864 clever-clogs1866 clever-sides1886 clever Dick1895 wise guy1896 wisenheimer1904 smarty-pants1935 quiz kid1940 smart apple1940 smarty-boots1950 smart-ass1958 slick1959 clever-sticks1964 smart-arse1965 wise-ass1971 1864 N.Y. Clipper 2 Jan. 300/4 He took it into his head to establish something new, whereby he could laugh in his sleeve at the ‘smart Alecs’ of Albany town, and started a saloon with no other performance than a piano and violin. 1873 J. H. Beadle Undeveloped West vii. 140 I had the pleasure of seeing at least a score of ‘smart Alecks’ relieved of their surplus cash. 1887 F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin 312 You may talk about..your Smart Alicks, and your Joe-dandies and daisies. 1904 W. N. Harben Georgians ix. 92 Thar was a smart Alec of a feller from Little Dogtrot over in the mountains. 1934 C. Stead Seven Poor Men of Sydney vi. 184 Rawson, from the Trades Hall, ready, assured, blatant, a political opportunist, whom Joseph called a ‘real smart-alec’. 1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? xii. 221 He's a smart-aleck. I can see already he thinks he knows more than I do. 1979 L. Meynell Hooky & Villainous Chauffeur vii. 99 Smart alec, aren't you? Smart and smug like all you intellectual lot. 2000 Reader's Digest Oct. 132/2 Pint-sized smart alecs on sitcoms and rude guests on talk shows seem ubiquitous nowadays. B. adj. Smugly clever; ‘know-it-all’. Cf. smart-alecky adj. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > would-be clever person > [adjective] smarty1850 smart alec1877 clever-clever1896 wise guy1920 slick1921 smarty-pants1932 wisenheimer1937 smart-ass1951 smart-assed1957 smart-arsed1962 smarty-boots1962 smart-arse1965 wise-assed1967 wise-ass1971 1877 Logansport (Indiana) Jrnl. 10 Nov. 4 The shock of the discovery that the editor..would like to accomplish a spiteful, Smart Alec trick, was the only result. 1902 G. H. Lorimer in Sat. Evening Post 22 Feb. 11/1 You're just about due now to run into a smart Aleck buyer. 1929 A. C. Edington & C. Edington Studio Murder Myst. iii. 30 That smart alec lawyer. 1956 C. V. Wedgwood Lit. & Historian 9 The imitators of Lytton Strachey managed by their smart-aleck antics to obscure for a long decade what was really valuable in the new approach to biography. 1964 L. Nkosi Rhythm of Violence ii. ii. 33 I'm bored with their smart-aleck talk! 1976 T. Stoppard Dirty Linen 40 Smart alec-paragraphs about innocent tripe-and-onions with tittian voluptuaries? 2004 Parents Jan. 131 Does your child have a smart-aleck answer for everything? Teach him how to lose the attitude. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.adj.1864
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