Gurn
type of facial expression
A gurn or chuck is a distorted facial expression; the term is also used as a verb to describe the action of making such a face. A typical gurn involves projecting the lower jaw as far forward and upward as possible, 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 that the derivation may originally be Scottish and related to the word grin. In Northern Ireland, the verb to gurn means "to cry," with the act of crying often referred to as "gurnin'". Originally, the Scottish dialectal usage referred to a person who is complaining. Additionally, the term gurn can describe involuntary facial contortions experienced as a side effect of MDMA consumption.
Gurning contests
Gurning contests are a rural English tradition held regularly in certain villages. Contestants traditionally frame their faces through a horse collar—a practice known as "gurnin' through a braffin".
The World Gurning Championship takes place annually at the Egremont Crab Fair. The fair dates to 1267, when King Henry III granted it a royal charter.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gurn” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.