smart-arseadj.n.
/ˈsmɑːtɑːs/, U.S. /ˈsmɑrdˌɑrs/, Australian English /ˈsmʌːtʌːs/, /ˈsmʌːdʌːs/, New Zealand English /ˈsmʌːdʌːs/ slang (chiefly British, Australian, and New Zealand).
A. adj.
= smart-ass 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
1965 T. Keneally Fear xxii. 163 I can remember the police yelling at me it was all my fault. Saying ‘Are you satisfied with what you've done, Mantle?’ And all that smart-arse stuff.
1973 Guardian 24 Feb. 8/5 A picture of a rose..needn't be just beautiful, or decorative, or a matter of smart-arse graphics.
1992 B. Anderson Portrait of Artist's Wife (1993) iii. 57 Smart-arse O'Connell who should have gone to the war but had weaselled out of it as everyone knew.
2007 G. Hurley One Under xxiii. 442 The last thing I want happening is some smart-arse journalist digging around and fighting material we've overlooked.
B. n.
= smart-ass n.
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
1965 W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 245 Anyhow, where else could we go, do you know, smartarse?
1970 B. Oakley Salute to Great McCarthy 28 That smart arse from the city.
1981 J. Barnett Firing Squad x. 92 He had indulged in reckless speculation... He was just as much a smart-arse as the Farnham D.I.
1998 P. Grace Baby No-eyes (1999) xxiv. 189 You're such a smartarse... Gab, gab, gab to all those stupid kids.
2006 Independent 16 Aug. (Property section) 11/1 Some smart-arse suggested that this summer's fun is not to be had at the zoo..but in taking the entire family property viewing.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
smart-arsev.
/ˈsmɑːtɑːs/, U.S. /ˈsmɑrdˌɑrs/, Australian English /ˈsmʌːtʌːs/, /ˈsmʌːdʌːs/, New Zealand English /ˈsmʌːdʌːs/ slang (chiefly British, Australian, and New Zealand).
intransitive. To speak or behave in an ostentatiously or smugly clever manner; to be a ‘smart-arse’. Chiefly with about.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > would-be clever person > behave [verb (intransitive)]
smart-ass1976
smart-arse1982
1982 A. Livia Relatively Norma xii. 166 Minnie had not had the courage to explain that far from smart-arsing about Gerry's bike, she didn't know enough to realise she had insulted it.
1992 K. Roberts Kaeti on Tour 79 Who did she think she was, coming down here, smart-arsing about?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1965
v.1982