Gurn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A gurn or chuck is a distorted facial expression, and a verb to describe the action. A typical gurn might involve projecting the lower jaw as far forward and up as possible, and covering the upper lip with the lower lip.
The English Dialect Dictionary, compiled by Joseph Wright, defines the word gurn as "to snarl as a dog; to look savage; to distort the countenance," while the Oxford English Dictionary suggests the derivation may originally be Scottish, related to "grin." In Northern Ireland, the verb "to gurn" means "to cry," and crying is often referred to as "gurnin'."
The term is also used to describe the jaw-jutting facial expression of people under the influence of the drug ecstasy.
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[edit] Gurning contests
Gurning contests are a rural English tradition. They are thought to have originated in 1297 at the Egremont Crab Fair, named after the crab apple, when King Henry III granted the fair a Royal Charter.[1] Crab apples are bitter, and so in celebration of the event, people pulled faces. Gurning was born.
The competitions are held regularly in some villages, with contestants traditionally framing their faces through a horse collar — known as "gurnin' through a braffin'."[2] The World Gurning Championship takes place annually at the same crab fair in Egremont, Cumbria.[3] Those with the greatest gurn capabilities are often those with no teeth, as this provides greater room to move the jaw further up. In some cases, the elderly or otherwise toothless can be capable of spectacular gurns covering the entire nose.
Peter Jackman became England's best-known gurner, winning the world championship four times, beginning in 1998 with a face called the "Bela Lugosi."[4] He had his teeth removed in 2000 to make his features easier to manoeuvre. Three years later, he died playing golf in Spain when a cliff face collapsed underneath him.[5]
In Australia, a common form of gurning is the "duck face", which is characterised by outwardly splayed lips and raised eyebrows as shown here[1]). Many areas hold local annual competitions for this form of facial expression. The "duck face" has been further popularised by such people as TV's Kath and Kim.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Gurners go for gold, BBC News, September 15, 2001.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/451253.stm
- ^ Guide to Traditional Customs of Britain/Brian Shuel/National Trust/1985/ISBN 0-86350-051-X
- ^ Eve, Kelly. Tears as Crab Fair remembers former winners and Anne bows out with her 25th championship, Times & Star, September 22, 2003.
- ^ Kesterton, Michael. "Gurning", The Globe and Mail, (Life section), January 22, 2009.
