Skin teet

phrase SKIN TEET skɪn tiːt

Also spelled skin teeth, skin-teet

To grin or smile broadly — literally to 'skin' (draw back) the lips and bare the teeth. Often it names a hollow, false, or nervous smile: a 'skin-teet' can be a friendly grin, or a fake one that hides ill feeling, as in the proverb 'not every skin-teet a laugh'.

  • Him skin teet wid mi but him nuh mean it.

    He grins at me but he doesn't mean it.

  • She just a skin har teet fi di camera.

    She's just grinning for the camera.

  • Nuh every skin teet a laugh.

    Not every grin is a genuine, friendly one.

Literally to 'skin' back the lips and show the 'teet' (teeth) — the physical act of grinning; the fake-smile sense comes from grins that hide true feelings.

Can mean a genuine broad grin or a false, forced one. See the proverb [[nuh-every-kin-teet-a-laugh]].