Smart

adj. and adv. (colloquial).—Generic for superior, out of the common, distinguished. [In senses 1, 2, and 3 there is often, but not necessarily, an implied suspicion of something questionable.] (1) = lively, witty, pert (B. E.): e.g., A SMART (= clever) BOOK; A SMART (= ready) REPLY; A SMART (= bright) SAYING; A SMART (= sparkling) SPEECH; A SMART (= brisk) LAD, &c. 2. = well-dressed, fashionable, brilliant: e.g., A SMART (= elegant and modish) FROCK; A SMART (= attractive and amusing) SHOW; SMART (= fashionable) SOCIETY: hence SMART, subs. = (1) a dandy (old), and (2) one in advance of the prevailing standard of good taste. 3. = quick, expert, shrewd: e.g., A SMART (= precocious) CHILD; A SMART (= clever) WORKMAN; A SMART (= enterprising) TRADESMAN; A SMART (= capable, active and neat) SOLDIER, SAILOR, HAND, &c. 4 (American) = clever, knavish, and unscrupulous. 5 (prov.) = cold: e.g., A SMART (= biting) MORNING. 6 (colloquial) = uncommon: e.g., SMART (= hard) GOING; SMART (= resolute and lively) HITTING; SMART (= capable) WORK. As adv. = very, large, considerable, vigorously: with such derivatives and combinations as SMARTY (subs.), SMARTNESS (subs.), and SMARTISH (adj.).

  [?].  M.S. Cantab., Ff. ii. 38, f. 131 [HALLIWELL]. The swynehorde toke out a knyfe SMERT. Ibid., Ff. v. 48, f. 110. SMERTLY then she callis a knave.

  1383.  CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales, ‘Genenal Prologue,’ 149. If men smot it with a yerde SMERTE.

  [?].  A Book of Precedence [E.E.T.S], i. 50.

  1641.  MILTON, Animadversions upon the Remonstrant’s Defence against Smectymnuus, Preface. A voluble and SMART fluence of tongue.

  1662.  FULLER, Worthies, Wiltshire, iii. 335. Thomas of Wilton wrote also a SMART Book on this subject.

  d. 1699.  STILLINGFLEET, Sermons, III. vii. These few words … contain a SMART and serious expostulation.

  d. 1701.  DRYDEN, Virgil, Georgics, i. 539.

  c. 1704.  W. DARREL, The Gentlemen Instructed, 470. ‘Sirrah,’ says the youngster, ‘make me a SMART wig, a SMART one, ye dog!’ The fellow blessed himself: he had heard of a SMART NAG, a SMART MAN, &c. But a SMART WIG was Chinese to the tradesman…. Within two days he had a SMART WIG with a SMART PRICE in the box. The truth is he had been bred up with the groom, and translated the stable dialect into the dressing-room.

  d. 1704.  T. BROWN, Works, ii. 123. I was a SMART child, and a smock-fac’d youth.

  1705.  VANBRUGH, The Confederacy, v. 2. There’s no need to be so SMART upon him neither: if he’s not a gentleman, he’s a gentleman’s fellow.

  1708–10.  SWIFT, Polite Conversation, Introduction. So great a number of SMART TURNS of wit and humour as I have produced.

  1715.  ADDISON, The Drummer, iii. 1. Thou’rt very SMART, my dear. But see! smoke the Doctor.

  1739.  J. TOWNLEY, High Life below Stairs, ii., 1.

  1740.  RICHARDSON, Pamela, i. 51. I bought … two pairs of ordinary blue worsted hose that made a SMARTISH appearance with white clocks. Ibid. (1753), The History of Sir Charles Grandison, iv. 292. Our cousin is looked upon amongst his brother libertines and SMARTS as a man of first consideration.

  1742.  FIELDING, Joseph Andrews, II. iv. All the SMARTS … were eclipsed in a moment. Ibid., III. iii. I resolved to quit all further conversation with beaux and SMARTS of every kind.

  1753.  The Adventurer, No. 100. The scale consists of eight: Greenhorn, Jemmy, Jessamy, SMART, Honest Fellow, Joyous Spirit, Buck, and Blood.

  1785.  COWPER, The Task, iv. 468. And sighs for the SMART comrades he has left.

  c. 1816.  Old Song, ‘The Night before Larry Was Stretched.’ He made a SMART BLOW at his head.

  1811.  AUSTEN, Sense and Sensibility, xix. I always preferred the church as I still do. But that was not SMART enough for my family. They recommended the army. That was a great deal too SMART for me.

  1826.  CROKER [Croker Papers, i. 331]. Where there was a SMART young WAITER, whom, however, these two Englishmen used to row exceedingly.

  1833.  MARRYAT, Peter Simple, I. iv. Come, heave a-head, my lads, be SMART.

  1835.  C. F. HOFFMAN, A Winter in the West, I. xvi. There ’s a SMART chance of cigars there in the bar, stranger if you ’d try some of them,” said one of the hooshiers.

  1836.  M. SCOTT, The Cruise of the Midge, 363. There’s a SMART hand … a good seaman evidently by the cut of his jib.

  1837.  DICKENS, Pickwick Papers, ii. SMART chap that cabman … but … punch his head. Ibid. (1844), Martin Chuzzlewit, xxxiii. Scadder is a SMART man, Sir? … Scadder was a SMART MAN, and had drawd a lot of British capital that way, as sure as sun-up…. Wish he might be sifted fine as flour, and whittled small as chips; that if they didn’t come off that fixing, right SMART too, he ’d spill ’em in the drink. Ibid. (1853), Bleak House, ix. I scarcely knew him again, he was so uncommonly SMART.

  1843.  B. R. HALL (‘Robert Carlton’) The New Purchase, I. 85. There was a SMART sprinkle of rattlesnake on Red Run, and that it was a powerful nice day to sun themselves.

  1844.  HALIBURTON (‘Sam Slick’), The Attaché, ix. He has a SMART chance of getting a better character.

  18[?].  MACAULAY [TREVELYAN, I. 202]. A SMART, impudent-looking young dog dressed like a sailor in a blue jacket and check shirt, marched up.

  1849.  C. BRONTË, Shirley, xxiv. This stout lady in a quaint black dress, who looks young enough to wear much SMARTER raiment, if she would.

  1854.  S. A. HAMMETT (‘Philip Paxton’), Stray Yankee in Texas, 96. A powerful SMART lookin’ chunk ov a poney you’ve got atwixt yer legs thar.

  1857.  OLMSTED, A Journey through Texas, 301. Each man’s ration consisting of a pint of mouldy corn and a ‘RIGHT SMART chunk of bacon.’

  1856.  H. B. STOWE, Dred, I. xvi. She had RIGHT SMART of life in her.

  1861.  H. KINGSLEY, Ravenshoe, xxxv. He’s a prig, and a SMART one, too.

  1869.  H. B. STOWE, The Minister’s Housekeeper. She was a little thin woman but tough as Inger rubber, and SMART AS A STEEL TRAP.

  1884.  S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, v. ‘I’ll lay for you, my SMARTY; and if I catch you about that school I’ll tan you good.’

  1885.  The Century Magazine, xl. 271. For a time the Clays were seen and heard of on the top wave of London’s ‘SMART’ SOCIETY.

  1890.  L. HUTTON, Literary Notes, in Harper’s Magazine, lxxx. Feb., 3. The ‘awfully SMART’ boy is only SMART—in the worst American sense of the word—as his own family make him so.

  1889.  KIPLING, The Rout of the White Hussars. It was all the Colonel’s fault…. He said that the Regiment was not SMART enough.

  1889.  Answers, 27 July, 141, 1. He knew that if the manuscript got about the Yankees would think it a SMART thing to crib it.

  1891.  H. B. MARRIOTT-WATSON, The Web of the Spider, xxii. ‘SMART he was, but he had a SMARTER man against him.’ ‘Yes,’ said Palliser; ‘SMART he was, but you don’t yet realise how SMART.’

  1900.  PERCY WHITE, The West End, 19. Among the ‘SMART’ SET, and under the surface, little is impossible.

  1901.  Pall Mall Gazette, 28 Nov., 2, 3. There can be no question that the SMART tradesman of to-day thrusts himself upon the general notice with tiresome assiduity.

  1903.  The Smart Set, a Magazine of Cleverness [Title].

  See SMART-MONEY.