SMILEY NOUN (YOUTH CULTURE)

(More fully smiley face or smiley badge): a round cartoon-style representation of a smiling face (usually black on yellow), used as a symbol in youth culture, especially in connection with acid house. Etymology: Formed by abbreviating smiley face to its first word and treating this as a noun. History and Usage: The black-on-yellow smiley first appeared as a late hippie symbol of peace and happiness in the early seventies. Towards the end of the seventies it enjoyed a revival among young people in the US (especially in California), but it was really its association with acid house, and in particular the suggestion that it was being used as the symbol of drug users, that brought it into the news in about 1988. As is often the way with young people's fashions, it became unfashionable almost as soon as it had been brought to public notice in this way. The smiley symbol has been used in many ways that are connected neither with youth culture nor with drugs: for example, it was the official symbol of the Lord Mayor of London's theme 'Service with a Smile' in 1985-6, and seems to be becoming accepted as a general symbol of approval (shorthand for 'I like this', for example written by the teacher on a child's schoolwork). A smiley with black features on white and another in reverse video are part of the standard ASCII character set for microcomputers. Brad's eye roved the room, which had recently taken on a second identity as an art gallery and was filled with murals depicting the deconstruction of the smiley face. David Leavitt The Lost Language of Cranes (1986; 1987 ed.), p. 198 In the crowd you may also spot the odd man in navy Top Man tracksuit, immaculate new trainers and strange accessories such as bandanas or Smiley badges--these are plain-clothes policemen or tabloid journalists. The Face Dec. 1989, p. 63 Glasgow's close association with the Mr Smiley logo predates acid house by several years, his happy face harnessed in 1983 to sell the world the PR legend, 'Glasgow's Miles Better'. The Face June 1990, p. 100