Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RICTUS

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connect this word to others: The fact that we even have a word for "a fake, frozen-on smile"--rictus--totally cracks me up. I'm equally tickled by the words fandango and defenestrate. How about you: what are your laugh-out-loud words? make your point with... "RICTUS" This term comes straight from Latin, where it means "open mouth or jaws." Strictly speaking, in zoology, an animal's rictus is the opening of its mouth, or the angle of its open mouth. And, more loosely speaking, a rictus is a fake, frozen, and/or awkward smile or grimace. Pronunciation: RICK tuss Part of speech: Noun, the countable kind: "his rictus," "her face froze into a rictus." Other forms: The plural forms are "ricti" and "rictuses." We can also use "rictus" loosely as an adjective, usually in the phrases "rictus grin" and "rictus smile." How to use it: This word is rare, but your context will make its meaning clear. Enjoy it! Talk about someone's rictus, a painted-on rictus, a rictus from ear to ear, a rictus of annoyance, a rictus of irritation, a rictus of smothered pain, a rictus of cartoonish proportions, etc. examples: "Prince’s expression — a rictus of embarrassment, confusion and guilt — belongs in a gallery."    — A. O. Scott and Wesley Morris, The New York Times, 7 December 2017 "The Joker has no inherent superhuman abilities... His most prominent weapon is his Joker venom, a poison that infects his victims with a ghoulish rictus grin and uncontrollable laughing fits."    — World Heritage Encyclopedia entry on "The Joker" has this page helped you understand "rictus"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "rictus" without saying "fixed smile" or "plastered-on grimace." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "Trying to _____, (someone) twisted (his or her) face into a rictus." Example: "Trying to convince the camp counselors that she's changed her attitude, Wednesday Addams twists her face into a rictus." If you like, use this space to draft your sentence. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "Big Bang Thicket." In each issue, hack your way through the polysyllabic title of an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and use your knowledge of vocabulary to answer the question about what happens in that episode. From the previous issue:  In "The Veracity Elasticity," does Amy stretch a budget or the truth? Answer: The truth. "Veracity" is a formal word for "truth" or "accuracy." Try this one today:  In "The Brain Bowl Incubation," do Amy and Sheldon grow or destroy some brain cells? review this word: 1. A close opposite of RICTUS, when it's used as an adjective, is A. BEAMISH. B. GARISH. C. NEBBISH. 2. Her rictus makes her look like one of those _____. A. southern belles, all dark eyelashes and rosy cheeks B. creepy old portraits with the eyes that seem to follow you C. hyperactive accident-prone children begging to help dry the fine china 1. A 2. B a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.