smartling

noun

smartling

noun

Etymology From smart + -ling.

1

One who is smart, shrewd, or clever; a smart-aleck.

And smartlings think it witty to blaspheme [...]1773, The Gentleman's magazine, volume 3, page 262:
And Smartlings think it Wit to play the Fool, [...]1738, Stephen Duck, Poems on several occasions:

2 more examples

The serious illness of Archbishop Corrigan of the New York Catholic diocese, has led a lot of newspaper smartlings to predict, with apparent mournfulness, that he might recover but for his "advanced age."1902, James Hoyt, Seen & heard by Megargee - Volume 2, Part 2 - Page 565:
He determined that he would not hold up his honest admiration of his friend for the amusement of these smartlings.1903, William Rheem Lighton, The ultimate moment:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.