Literary notes about smart (AI summary)
The term “smart” in literature is remarkably versatile, taking on a variety of meanings depending on context. It frequently denotes neatness or stylishness, as when a character is described as wearing a “new, smart grey hat” ([1]) or a “smart pelisse” ([2]), suggesting refined taste or impeccable appearance. At the same time, it can indicate cleverness or intelligence, seen when a boy is noted as being “rather a smart boy” ([3]) or when a character is recognized for his quick-wittedness ([4]). In other contexts, “smart” may even refer to a physical sting or sharp pain, adding a layer of sensory detail to narrative descriptions ([5], [6]). Thus, the word functions both literally and metaphorically, enhancing the texture of character portrayal and action throughout literary works.
- Isaac Abramovich could not find his new, smart grey hat anywhere.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - new bonnet and white ribbons, and in a smart pelisse, with a rich gold watch in the midst of her person.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - "He is rather a smart boy, ain't he?" said Bass.
— from Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup - “Look here, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” he said, “we are all ready to acknowledge that you are a smart man, and that you have your own methods of working.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - For it engendereth bad and unwholesome blood, and with its exorbitant heat woundeth them with grievous, hurtful, smart, and noisome vapours.
— from Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais - This state of things caused my first sorrows, and they are the most poignant sorrows under which a young man can smart.
— from The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Complete by Giacomo Casanova
