Smirting

Smirting describes the social pastime of people flirting outside public places (e.g. pub, public houses, cafes and restaurants) where smoking is forbidden or illegal &mdash;the term for the activity being a portmanteau of the words smoking and flirting.

Smirting is an especially common phenomenon in societies that have strictly enforced regulations banning the smoking of tobacco in public places (e.g., UK, Ireland, California, New York City, New Zealand, etc). The term is thought to have originated in the Republic of Ireland sometime after March 29, 2004 (when tough legislation banning smoking in public places came into effect there).

With widespread media coverage of the trend, the phenomenon has since become something of a humorous cult activity in many parts of the world.

Smirting Smirting