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smart aleck - 3 dictionary results

smart aleck

[al-ik]
–noun
1. an obnoxiously conceited person.
2. a wise guy.

Origin:
1860–65, Americanism; generic use of Aleck, nickname for Alexander


smart-al⋅eck⋅y, smart-aleck, adjective
smart al·eck   (āl'ĭk)   
n.   Informal
  1. A person regarded as obnoxiously self-assertive.
  2. An impudent person.

[Perhaps after Aleck Hoag, 19th-century American confidence man and thief.]
smart'-al'eck (smärt'āl'ĭk), smart'-al'eck·y (-ĭ-kē) adj.

smart aleck

An impudent or obnoxiously self-assertive individual, a wise guy, as in New teachers often have a hard time coping with the smart alecks in their classes. This expression, dating from the mid-1800s, probably alluded to a person of this description who was named Alec or Alexander, but his identity has been lost.

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