Glasgow smile

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For the hard rock band, see The Chelsea Smiles.

For the Grind/Deathcore band, see Chelsea Grin.

A Glasgow smile (also known as a Chelsea grin or Chelsea Smile) is a nickname for the practice of cutting a victim's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears: the cut - or its scars - form an "extension" of what resembles a smile. Sometimes to further hurt or even kill the victim, he or she would then be stabbed or kicked, most notably in the stomach (or in case of kicking, the groin), so that the face would be ripped apart when the victim screamed. The practice originated in the Scottish city of Glasgow, which gave it its name. It also became popular in Chelsea, London (where it is known as a "Chelsea grin") and other areas of Britain, for gangs hoping to leave a message to rival gang members.

In the murder of the Black Dahlia, it was noted that the body was given a Glasgow smile.

[edit] In other media

The 1868 novel Les Chants de Maldoror contains a stanza in which the masochistic narrator is unable to experience happiness and cuts himself a smile in this manner to help him smile.
Character actor Tommy Flanagan, noted for scars on his face, received the Glasgow smile after being jumped outside a bar at which he worked as a DJ.
The main villian of Ichi the Killer sports a self-inflicted Glasgow smile, out of which he blows smoke with his mouth closed.
In the novel The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo, the character Gwynplaine has a Glasgow smile.
In the television show Nip/Tuck, the serial rapist known as The Carver rapes his victims and then carves a Glasgow smile as part of his modus operandi.
In the film "Green Street Hooligans", Elijah Wood's character was almost given a Chelsea grin before he is rescued by the G.S.E.
In Pan's Labyrinth Mercedes gives the captain half a Chelsea Grin before escaping.
In the 2008 film The Dark Knight, The Joker (portrayed by Heath Ledger) has facial scars resembling a Glasgow smile. The catch phrase, "let's put a smile on that face" also implies that the Joker carves a Glasgow smile on his victims' corpses. The Joker in The Dark Knight was based on the Joker in his earliest appearances in the comics, which were inspired by Conrad Veidt's performance in the film The Man Who Laughs.
In the video game "Army of Two", the character Phillip Clyde appears to have had a Glasgow smile performed on him in the final mission
In Moon Knight comics, the Profile encounters a woman in a bar who bears scars of a Glasglow smile