Can’t find the right word.

Glikeria   Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:24 am GMT
What do you call that kind of vague smile Bush usually has ? It’s often inappropriate . I still remember him standing on the ruins of the Trade Center with this smile.
Looked up thesaurus – neither grin, nor smirk seem to be correct. I wish smb told about different sorts of smiles.
Javk   Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:58 pm GMT
How about?

Idiotic smile...Inane smile...Fake Smile....Phony smile...Bigots Smile...etc...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=+%22bush%27s+*+smile&btnG=Search
Glikeria   Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:02 pm GMT
Tnx, Javk. Actually what I want is nouns synonymous to "smile", not attributes.
Presley.   Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:11 pm GMT
Sneer?
Javk   Sat Jun 17, 2006 8:32 pm GMT
Yes, I know you were looking for a single word, but unafortunately I don't have any suggestion. Besides, I don't think there's a word that describes Bushy's smile.
Rolandkun   Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:48 pm GMT
Single word is hard to pop up from my mind. Why not try this one: smug look, or simper
Glikeria   Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:36 am GMT
"Sneer" is contemptuous, which it is not. "Simper" looks more appropriate.
Uriel   Sun Jun 18, 2006 5:39 am GMT
Try a "faint smile" -- faint as in slight, barely there; not as in toppling over unconscious, of course.

While there are other words for "smile", like grin, smirk, etc, often different variations of the facial expression itself are denoted by qualifying adjectives rather than whole new words. An "evil grin" would be worlds apart from a "big ol' cheesy shit-eating grin", just as a "shy smile" would be utterly different from a "sunny smile".
Glikeria   Sun Jun 18, 2006 6:45 am GMT
Yes, Uriel, it certainly is a faint smile, but this one doesn't give enough info. What do `you make of "simper"?
Guest   Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:40 pm GMT
I just invented one: Any comments from linguists are more than welcome.
"monkey smile".
Johnathan Mark   Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:14 am GMT
"Half-smile" is what I would say.
Jb   Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:21 pm GMT
How about "grin"
Uriel   Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:28 am GMT
I guess I associate simpering more with a general attitude or mein, not as a type of smile. But then, I don't know exactly what smile you're referring to in the first place....got a link to a picture?
Glikeria   Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:28 pm GMT
Sorry, Uriel, no link.
Funny you ask that - there isn't much variety there. I presume everybody has seen it hundreds of times unless they avoid seeing news.
BTW, I haven't found "mein" in any of my dictionaries.
Deborah   Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:51 am GMT
Do you mean "mien"?