A person who is habitually grumpy, bad-tempered, or unpleasant in disposition.
Combines 'sour' (from Old English sur, meaning sharp or acidic in taste) with 'puss' (a colloquial term for face, possibly from Irish pus). The compound emerged in American English in the early 1900s to describe someone whose facial expression seems perpetually sour or displeased.
Sourpuss is one of those wonderfully descriptive words where the meaning is hidden in plain sight—if someone's attitude is 'sour' and you can see it on their 'puss' (face), you've got a sourpuss! It's a great example of how English speakers create vivid character descriptions by combining simple words.
Pejorative diminutive applied disproportionately to women who expressed anger, dissatisfaction, or refused to perform emotional labor; framed women's justified frustration as personality flaw.
Avoid; describe specific behavior ('expressed frustration', 'declined to participate') rather than labeling personality with gendered contempt.
["expressed frustration","declined","displeased","showed displeasure"]
Women's anger and refusal to smile were historically pathologized; men with identical expressions were considered 'serious' or 'discerning'.
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