Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: to look with a sideways or oblique glance, especially suggestive of lascivious interest or sly and malicious intention:
Source: Dictionary.com
Found in All American Girl by Julia Alvarez
“…I locked myself/in the bathroom, trying to match my face/with words in my new language: grimace, leer,…”(lines 4-6)
In this poem, the speaking is talking about learning a new language and culture. She talks about locking herself in the bathroom to practice and perfect matching her words and her facial expressions. I’ve heard the word leer before but wasn’t quite sure what it meant. Understanding the meaning of the word helped me understand these lines in the poem and painted a clear picture of a girl locked in bathroom practicing facial expressions in the mirror.
