Friends,
I am trying to understand the meaning and usage of the verbal phrase “เม้มปาก”. Lexitron says to “compress one's lips; fold down one's lips; press one's lips together”. Domnern Sathienpong says “to purse the lips, compress the lips”. I suspect that there is a communications content in this gesture but I don’t know what it is. For example, the phrase might mean “to compress one’s lips into thin line as an indication of barely suppressed anger”; or, “to purse one’s lips in a gesture of contemplation”; or some other meaning.
Here is a sentence from ไทยรัฐ (1 สิงหาคม 2551) where “เม้มปาก” is coupled with “ขมวดคิ้ว” (to frown; to knit one’s eyebrows):
“ผู้สื่อข่าวรายงานบรรยากาศในห้องพิจารณามาถึงตรงนี้ คุณหญิงพจมานถึงกับนั่งก้มหน้าเครียด ส่วน พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณนั่งเม้มปากขมวดคิ้วแน่น”
“Newsmen described the atmosphere in the courtroom as follows: ‘Khun Ying Phojaman sat with her head bent down in consternation; as for Pol. Col. Thaksin, he sat [and listened] with compressed lips and knitted brow’.”
What do you think?