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I'm writing a story in which the last two words are currently "fake smile." It would be punchier if I could condense these two words into one - is there any such word?

AVM
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    This has already been answered here – J_LV Dec 05 '14 at 03:18
  • Thanks! Although, that's someone who gives a fake smile - is there a word for the fake smile itself? – AVM Dec 05 '14 at 03:20
  • Yes, it's called a Pan Am smile (that was the first word used) or a Botox smile according to (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile) – J_LV Dec 05 '14 at 03:24
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    "Smirk" comes pretty close. (I've never heard of "Pan Am smile", and "Botox smile" suggests someone whose face is frozen in a smile from botched cosmetic surgery.) – Hot Licks Dec 05 '14 at 04:47

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We could derive eccedentesism from eccedentesiast which is a coinage of Florence King's for one who smiles such fake smiles.

I don't recommend you do though, as not enough people know eccedentesiast to be able to figure out eccedentesism.

I'd recommend the opposite, of being less direct rather than using a single word, "salesman smile", "Stepford smile", "customer services smile", "politician smile", "infomercial smile" and so on, depending on why they have such a fake smile at the story's end.

Jon Hanna
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