Free Smileys For Better Communication
Smileys, also known as emoticons, are a modern invention that we use to express feelings or emotions in writing, mainly in a text message or any kind of online messages. Smileys are a set of characters, which when tilted on their side, express certain meanings. There are a number of graphically coded emoticons, which appear as pictures. You can download free smileys online from numerous websites, or you can check out the ‘top 10 list of smileys' and learn a few. When you type a message, you can use these sets of characters to make your words come alive and be more specific in their meaning.
The most common free smileys are expressing joy or happiness with a simple colon and bracket such as the :-) smiley. When you tilt your head to the left, these characters resemble a smiling face, and this is where the term "smiley" comes from. The most popular smileys include :-( (sad), :-S (worried or nervous), :-P (tongue out) and :-D (grinning).
After a while people started inventing their own sets of inventive, funny, outrageous or plain weird versions of smileys. Below you can see the top 10 of these unusual smileys we thought most deserved their place in this list. Included is a brief explanation of the meanings.
10. The Left-handed smiley
(-:
This smiley is not weird, just special, because it is the mirror image of the traditional smiley face. It is usually associated with people who like to appear different than the rest such as hippies, leftist groups and other countercultures.
9. Propeller beanie kid
K:P
This smiley is a version of the smileys that have their tongues out (the characters :P) while wearing a beanie hat with a propeller on top (the letter K). It is usually used when insulting someone's child-like mannerisms.
8. Santa hat smiley
*>:-)
As you can see, placing an asterisk followed by a "less than" sign, you create a Santa hat on an otherwise ordinary emoticon. These smileys are frequently used during the holiday season. You should use it when you are celebrating the Yuletide season.
7. Dunce
<:-I
In the European tradition, the dunce hat was a classic way of punishing a child who's a little slow academically. The child was forced to sit on an isolated chair while wearing a pointed hat with the words "dunce" written on it, the point being to bring shame on the person wearing it. The letter "I" instead of a ")" represents the mouth, indicating the child is not too happy with his or her position. Use these smileys when trying to express that the other person deserves to be called a dunce.
6. Punk rocker rulez
-:-(
The person using these smileys is trying to say something about punk rockers since the "-" sign represents the Mohawk hairstyle. The "(" means frowning, suggesting that punks never smile (which is not true of course). When you feel irritated or like a punk, use this set of characters to express your feelings.
5. Staring at a green screen for hours
%-)
If you are referred to by one of these smileys, the writer probably wants to communicate that you are mesmerized by the screen or out of your mind, but still happy which is visible form the ")" sign. You should use it when you are enjoying the fact that you have been staring at the computer screen for quite a while.
4. The holy smiley
+-:-)
This smiley humorously indicates that a holy person has just entered the chat-room. Also used by people who just feel they've been enlightened. You can use it when you've recently experienced a virtual epiphany, revelation, or enlightenment. Use it also to make others look sinful.
3. The user is braindead.
%-6
Similar to the "staring at the screen" smileys, but without the smile. It is a smiley to end all smileys; also used to end all conversations. The "%" sign indicates the weird look in a person's eyes, while the "6" represents the tongue lying out, a sign of a comatose person. The users of these smileys want to say they're either exhausted of all the chatting, or they're exhausted of you. This kind of smiley is not used often, and those who do use this smiley usually don't reply anymore. This is definitely one of the weirdest ways to end an online conversation.
2. An updrafted mustached smiley with a pointed nose and a double chin
}:^#))
This is one of the "mega smileys" circulating around the Internet, which is a result of testing how many symbols people can squeeze in to create a single smiley. It is very specific in what it wants to portray. You can see the eyebrow, the pointed nose, the mustache and the 2 chins too very clearly. The use of these smileys is totally subjective, up to the person chatting.
1. A drunk, devilish chef sporting an updrafted toupee, with a double chin and Chaplin mustache
C= 2>;*{))
This smiley is the top of the tops, beating all the smileys before with the number of characters squeezed into it. There is really no need to further explain what each character means, it is self evident from its name. You can use it mostly when you want to show of your arsenal of free smileys.
If you still aren't convinced by these character sets, you can always download free smileys in the shapes and sizes you want them to be. Smileys : Use them, don't abuse them!