Mewing

Anglicism, named after the British orthodontist John Mew, who developed the technique with his son Mike as part of the (scientifically unproven) practice 'orthotropics': pressing the tongue against the palate to supposedly sharpen the jawline. From the mid/late 2010s it spread on internet forums and became part of the 'looksmaxxing' scene. Among Generation Alpha 'mewing' is now mainly a nonverbal gesture – tracing the jawline with a finger, often with a 'shhh' – signalling 'I'm mewing, be quiet / I'm not answering', which has caused frustration for teachers in class.