The wink...

;)
Typing this little guy in a web conversation means "wink"...and sometimes, as me and Rachel discovered in Gmail chat, it actually creates a little face that winks at you. Believe it or not, it kept us entertained for longer than it should have.

Winks are interesting expressions. A wink is like watching America's Funniest Home Videos. In moderation it's great, but you can't watch it everyday. As my great grandfather use to say, "It's easy to overwink and impossible to underwink." (Ok, he really never said that, but I wish he did.) You have to know when to use the wink. It must be strategically placed with perfect timing and delivery. You can't just throw winks out left and right...you'll become the tragic "over-winker." We all know an over-winker. (If you don't know an over-winker, you ARE the over-winker. I'm sorry I'm the one to have to tell you. Just stop doing it...) The over-winker is almost as bad as the exaggerated winker. You know, the one that uses their whole face as if to say, "Look, I'm winking!" These two faults are cousins to the "creepy-winker." You have to be careful, it's a very delicate science... Everyone appreciates a good winker.

The wink can have many meanings. It can mean, "Go along with whatever I just said" or "I think you're smoking hot but I'm too afraid to say anything so I'm winking at you" or "You know what I REALLY mean" or "I'm kidding" or "Riiiigggghhhhttt."Although most of the times the intent of the wink is clear, sometimes it is not. One of the great Seinfeld episodes in season 7 is titled, "The Wink." In the episode, Jerry squirts grapefruit into George's eye at breakfast, and for the rest of the day George is misinterpreted because everyone thinks he is winking at them. As only Seinfeld can do, we laugh at sometime simple: the wink. For your viewing pleasure, I have included the classic Seinfeld scene.


The next time you go to wink....if you have to think about it, don't do it.