Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner12]

Hello, teachers!!

When you hear "Jane is smart," do you have two meanings-- "Jane is intelligent" and "Jane is impudent"?

Thank you in advance.

[Lorikeet]

I only think of intelligent. "Smart" has a good connotation; that is, it is a compliment. "Impudent" has a negative connotation. The dictionary defines "impudent" as " marked by contemptuous or *beep* boldness or disregard of others."

[CP]

If you want to say that Jane is impudent, you might say, "Jane has a smart mouth," or "Jane smarts off to her mother."

If a child speaks to an adult with impudence, the adult might say, "Don't be smart." There, it doesn't mean, "Don't be intelligent," but rather, "Don't be impudent" or "Don't be sharp / sharp-tongued."

I think the use of "smart" as "sharp" comes from or is related to "smart" as "painful." We can say that a bee sting or a kick in the shin smarts, meaning it is sharply painful. Because someone who is sassy or impudent also speaks with a sharp tongue, what he / she says is sharp or smart.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[Lorikeet]

Ah thanks, CP. CP, is, of course right as usual. Context is most important!

[CP]

Yes, and Lorikeet is also right, as usual. I don't think one person in 100 would hear the sentence and think that Mary is sassy rather than bright, without more context.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[learner12]

Dear Lorikeet & CP,

Thank you for great explanations!! I understood them.

Many thanks, and have a nice day!