Talk:smart

U.K. "smart" vs U.S. "smart"

I must have read somewhere that "smart" in the sense of "intellectually clever" is more typical of U.S. than of U.K. Can someone please confirm or refute this? --Daniel Polansky 14:01, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

I don’t know about the U.K., but the usual sense in the U.S. is intelligent, clever, wise. —Stephen 16:26, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for this being a late reply, but I didn't feel the need to start a new section. I think the original meaning of the term in the UK was “presentable” (of person or clothing). Probably particularly on the back of “smartphone”, however, the “clever” usage has become just as common. N4m3 (talk) 22:55, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

Smartphone is very recent. Smart-arse, for example, shows usage in this sense in the UK considerably earlier. Equinox ◑ 22:57, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

By the way, Daniel is right: although "smart" is well understood in the UK for "astute, intelligent", it is (or was) less common in that sense than in North America. Equinox ◑ 22:58, 15 March 2013 (UTC)

Noun?

Fielding, in Tom Jones, seems to use smart as a noun, i.e. here:

1. • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book III, chapter ii

     ... the poor lad bore not only the whole smart, but the whole blame...

If we can find other uses (and what a gigantic PITA that'll be), we should add it to the entry. JesseW 21:38, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Cognate

While it is listed in the translation section, and somewhat the etymology (There is only OHG)... German cognate "schmerzen" should be listed in the etymology meaning "to hurt". This is why they say "Kopfschmerzen" for "headache".

130.64.102.236 14:48, 30 April 2010 (UTC)