Is there a difference between the phrases “smarty-pants” and “wise-ass” ?
I don’t know if the spelling is correct, and if hyphens should be used , but I’d like to know the dif, if any.
Thanks
IMO, a smart-pants is a know-it-all who lets you know he/she’s a know-it-all. At every given opportunity, they will spew forth knowledge (often incorrect or incomplete) about whatever topic was casually mentioned.
A wise-ass, OTOH, has an attitude similar to that of Spider-Man or Bruce Campbell as Ash in Evil Dead. He makes smart-alecky comments, sees himself as being the best, etc…
A smarty-pants is not the same as a smart ass, smart alec, or wise ass.
A smarty-pants, as has been said, is a know-it-all. The latter phrases are equivalent to wise-guy, and imply a sarcastic attitude.
I mostly agree, except for wise-guy. When Stooge Moe said, “Oh, a wise-guy, eh?” he meant just what Colibri said. These days, wise-guy more often means somebody connected with organized crime.
Depends on where you live, I think. (Certainly in my old neighborhood in the Bronx one might not want to ask someone if they were a wise-guy.) I don’t think the earlier meaning has been lost.
I think it’s also context dependent. I think wise-guy is also sometimes used when the word wise-ass is undesirable. Like when my brother was one of the Three Wise Guys (Normally called Three Wise Men–in a Christmas pageant.)
The subject of a well-known Gary Larsen cartoon.
Smarty-Pants: “Actually, Mr.Weisenheimer, here, might be interested to know that he is an upstart who makes conceited, sardonic, and insolent comments.”
Wiseass: “Right, I’m a tremblin’ in my boots here, 'cause Mr. Swellhead did his 500 push-ups with the dictionary up his ass this morning…”
Wiseguy: “Oh yeah, Smart Aleck, you might say we’ve got a bit of history.”
Moe: “Wise Guy…I Oughtta”
