Simper

simper \ˈsim-pər\ noun: a silly smile; smirk
intransitive verb: to smile in a silly manner
transitive verb: to say with a simper {simpered an apology}

Etymology: akin to Middle Dutch zimperlijc elegant, Dan dialect simper affected, coy

“The Count succumbs to her perfidious simpers.” Who is this perfidious simperer, you wonder? She is the title character in Anton Giuglio Bragaglia’s 1917 film Thaïs, which screened at Anthology Film Archives last night as part of its series celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Italian Futurism. The quotation comes from Virginie Bobin’s live translation of the French intertitles.