Did you expect quirk to be a noun meaning "a peculiarity of action or behavior"? If so, you're probably not alone; the "peculiarity" sense of the noun quirk is commonly known and has been a part of our language since the 17th century. But quirk has long worn other hats in English, too. The sense meaning "a curve, turn, or twist" has named everything from curving pen marks on paper (i.e., flourishes) to witty turns of phrase to the vagaries or twists of fate. In contemporary English, the verb quirk can be used in referring to facial expressions, especially those that involve crooked smiles or furrowed eyebrows.
Noun Everyone has their little quirks. wearing red shoes every day is just one of her quirks
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Like something created for a sci-fi movie rather than a quirk of nature, White Sands feels like visiting an alien planet. Joe Yogerst, CNN, 4 Sep. 2022 Thanks to the dramatic increase in the price of oil and a quirk of history, the University of Texas could soon surpass Harvard as the richest university, said Spencer Jakab in The Wall Street Journal. The Week Staff, The Week, 27 Aug. 2022 One quirk about this matchup: the Cowboys have lost four consecutive preseason games against the Chargers, with the last Dallas victory coming in 2010. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 21 Aug. 2022 Thanks to this quirk of the draw at Cincinnati, the unseeded Williams and 10th seed Raducanu will go toe-to-toe for the first—and likely the last—time. Liam Hess, Vogue, 15 Aug. 2022 Other clonal aspen groves exist—a quirk of the trees’ unusual horizontal roots, which sprout their own stems—but very few even come close to rivaling Pando in mass. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2022 Perhaps owing to some quirk of my Internet browsing history, these included tote bags with German-language slogans and monogrammed travel mugs. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 25 July 2022 Instead, this comes down to a quirk of how the data is made available on the clipboard by Windows. Matthew Humphries, PCMAG, 8 June 2022 Only Auburn in 2015 has broken the Crimson Tide’s preseason string during the Saban glory days (though, in a quirk of voting, Alabama was the pick to win the SEC championship that year). Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, 26 June 2022
Verb
Working from home: The fun quirks couples learn about each other Look and sound more professional Mind your manners in online meetings by following these tips For video meetings, the eyes have it. Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 4 June 2020 But many other smaller outfits were unable to access the loan program, even as some larger firms took advantage of the program’s quirks to get approval for high-dollar relief. Tom Benning, Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2020 See More