I was tempted to use a book title for today's blog ("A Face in the Crowd") but decided that if I am going to start a new challenge using book titles I want to start it with a new month.
Most of us were warned by our mothers when we were young to stop making faces or they would stay that way. Today's blog seems to disprove that theory...or maybe not?
The English Dialect Dictionary defines gurn as "to snarl like a dog;to look savage;to distort the countenance". The Oxford Dictionary suggests Scottish derivation,related to grin.
In the US it is usually just called making a face,or pulling a face. In the UK it is called a gurn or chuck and they are a rural English tradition. The most notable is held annually at the Egremont Crab Fair,which dates back to 1267. The origins of the gurning competition are not clear.
The competitions are held regularly in some villages with contestants traditionally framing their faces through a horse collar-known as "gurnin through a braffin". Those with the greatest gurn capabilities often have no teeth as this provides greater jaw movement. In 2010 Anne Woods was finally accepted into the Guinness Book after winning the championship 27 times.
I may not be able to write a blog tomorrow as it is the day of the change over from the evil Century Link,and who knows how long or how well that will go? If not, I will be back as soon as possible.
Most of us were warned by our mothers when we were young to stop making faces or they would stay that way. Today's blog seems to disprove that theory...or maybe not?
The English Dialect Dictionary defines gurn as "to snarl like a dog;to look savage;to distort the countenance". The Oxford Dictionary suggests Scottish derivation,related to grin.
In the US it is usually just called making a face,or pulling a face. In the UK it is called a gurn or chuck and they are a rural English tradition. The most notable is held annually at the Egremont Crab Fair,which dates back to 1267. The origins of the gurning competition are not clear.
The competitions are held regularly in some villages with contestants traditionally framing their faces through a horse collar-known as "gurnin through a braffin". Those with the greatest gurn capabilities often have no teeth as this provides greater jaw movement. In 2010 Anne Woods was finally accepted into the Guinness Book after winning the championship 27 times.
I may not be able to write a blog tomorrow as it is the day of the change over from the evil Century Link,and who knows how long or how well that will go? If not, I will be back as soon as possible.
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