History Main / MeaningfulLook

Because facial expressions are used as a part of communication all the time, this trope is only for examples where the look is used as a substitute for speech or the look conveys a fairly specific message.

The Meaningful Look is a supertrope to the TraitorShot, HeldGaze and LongingLook.

* A to-the-audience example occurs in the [[ElfQuest ElfQuest]] story, Kings Of The Broken Wheel when Ember is about to hit her brother, Suntop, for blatantly insulting her (see page image). She then realises he did it because he's in severe distress and drops her hand (was a fist). The look she gives her brother, combining realisation, pity and concern, is seen only by the reader (Suntop is looking the other way at the time) and so is obviously meant to convey to the reader not only the message that Ember loves her brother but also that this is a stage in her advancing maturity and developing personality.

Related to ''FacialDialogue'', which is about whole conversations happening silently through expression or characters normally or habitually communicating this way, but Meaningful Look is a single look only.

In deciding whether or not to place an example here, consider whether or not the character(s) normally or habitually communicate by Meaningful Looks. If they do, the example probably belongs in ''FacialDialogue'' instead of here.

2. Author to audience, via a character but without ''BreakingTheFourthWall''.

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the regretful smile of TheHero who is about to make [[HeroicSacrifice the ultimate sacrifice]] to the wink of the captured rogue to signal his hidden rescuers, much can be said without words. It can indicate a secret, a character knowing more than they let on, or the scene may involve a person in front of whom the character cannot talk openly.

The Meaningful Look can be used by the author of a visual work to communicate a message to the audience rather than to a character, but if the look is BreakingTheFourthWall, that's an AsideGlance.

Because facial expressions are used as a part of communication all the time, this trope is only for examples where the look is used as a substitute for speech and the look is either intended to cause strong emotions in the viewer or conveys a very specific message.

Related to FacialDialogue, which is about whole conversations happening silently through expression or characters normally or habitually communicating this way, but Meaningful Look is a single look only.

* Captain Picard uses this explicitly to communicate his intentions to his crew on at least one occasion when he does not want an alien species to know what is about to happen.

* ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice'' (2005): When Miss Darcy meets Elizabeth for the first time at Pemberley, she gives her and her brother Mr Darcy a knowing look. It's implied that Miss Darcy knows that he's in love with her, and wonders what Elizabeth's feelings are.

* In ''GameOfThrones'', Renly Baratheon shares a lingering look with his secret lover Loras at the Hand of the King's tourney, the first indication the viewer receives that there's a relationship.

* The Newman / Redford classic TheSting has each con man arriving in Chicago casually flick his nose with his right index finger to signal that he's "in" on the plan to fleece Doyle Lonnegan.
* ''True Lies'' features maverick agent Harry Tasker piloting a Harrier jet. His daughter is clinging to the nose cone (an improvised rescue) while the BigBad stands on one wing with a pointed firearm. Harry rolls his eyes to his right as a signal to his daughter that he's going to roll the jet. The girl is ready for this move, and doesn't fall off; the BigBad misses the signal and topples off the edge.

* Invoked by name in {{Homestuck}}.

[[caption-width-right:300:She's angry at him. He's hurting. She realises.]]

[[quoteright:228:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kobw03-17pn3_5128.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:228:She was going to hit him.]]

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the regretful smile of the Hero who is about to make The Ultimate Sacrifice to the wink of the captured rogue to signal his hidden rescuers, much can be said without words. It can indicate a secret, a character knowing more than they let on, or the scene may involve a person in front of whom the character cannot talk openly.

[[caption-width-right:228:She was going to hit him]]

The Meaningful Look can be used by the author of a visual work to communicate a message to the audience rather than to a character, but if the look is BreakingTheFourthWall, that's an ''AsideGlance''.

Related to ''FacialDialogue'', which is about whole conversations happening silently through expression or characters normally or habitually communicating this way, but Meaningful Look is a single look only.

The Meaningful Look is a supertrope to the ''TraitorShot'', ''HeldGaze'' and ''LongingLook''.

The Meaningful Look can be used by the author of a visual work to communicate a message to the audience rather than to a character, but if the look is BreakingTheFourthWall, that's an AsideGlance.

Related to FacialDialogue, which is about whole conversations happening silently through expression or characters normally or habitually communicating this way, but Meaningful Look is a single look only.

The Meaningful Look is a supertrope to the TraitorShot.

-->'''Skinner:''' So am I.
* In ''HoratioHornblower'', lieutenants and best pals Horatio Hornblower and Archie Kennedy exchange lots of meaningful looks which express their dissatisfaction and disgust with the situation on their ship, commanded by paranoid and mentally unstable captain. It's usually when somebody else is present and they cannot talk freely.

* In ''GameOfThrones'', Renly Baratheon shares a lingering look with his secret lover Loras at the Hand of the King's tourney, the first indication the viewer receives that there's a relationship.

Related to FacialDialogue, which is about whole conversations happening silently through expression, but Meaningful Look is a single look only.

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the regretful smile of the Hero who is about to make The Ultimate Sacrifice to the wink of the captured rogue to signal his hidden rescuers, much can be said without words. It can indicate a secret, a character knowing more than they let on, or the scene may involve a person in front of whom the character cannot talk.

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the regretful smile of the Hero who is about to make The Ultimate Sacrifice to the wink of the captured rogue to signal his hidden rescuers, much can be said without words. It can indicate a secret, a character knowing more then they let on, or the scene may involve a person in front of whom the character cannot talk.

* A to-the-audience example occurs in the [[ElfQuest ElfQuest]] story, Kings Of The Broken Wheel when Ember is about to hit her brother, Suntop, for blatently insulting her (see page image). She then realises he did it because he's in severe distress and drops her hand (was a fist). The look she gives her brother, combining realisation, pity and concern, is seen only by the reader (Suntop is looking the other way at the time) and so is obviously meant to convey to the reader not only the message that Ember loves her brother but also that this is a stage in her advancing maturity and developing personality.

* A to-the-audience example occurs in the [[ElfQuest ElfQuest]] story, Kings Of The Broken Wheel when Ember is about to hit her brother, Suntop, for blatently insulting her. She then realises he did it because he's in severe distress and drops her hand (was a fist). The look she gives her brother, combining realisation, pity and concern, is seen only by the reader (Suntop is looking the other way at the time) and so is obviously meant to convey to the reader not only the message that Ember loves her brother but also that this is a stage in her advancing maturity and developing personality.

* A to-the-audience example occurs in the [[ElfQuest ElfQuest]] story, Kings Of The Broken Wheel when Ember is about to hit her brother, Suntop, for blatently insulting her. She then realises he did it because he's in severe distress and drops her hand (was a fist). The look she gives her brother, combining realisation, pity and concern, is seen only by the reader (Suntop is looking the other way at the time) and so is obviously meant to convey a message to the reader.

The Meaningful Look can be used by the author of a visual work to communicate a message to the audience rather than to a character. The look can, but does not have to be, a case of BreakingTheFourthWall.

Because facial expressions are used as a part of communication all the time, this trope is only for examples where the look is used as a substitute for speech and the look is either intended to cause strong emotions in the viewer or conveys a very specific message in-Universe.

May be used by ''TheVoiceless'' as a means of communication.

* A to-the-audience example occurs in the Elf Quest story, Kings Of The Broken Wheel when Ember is about to hit her brother, Suntop, for blatently insulting her. She then realises he did it because he's in severe distress and drops her hand (was a fist). The look she gives her brother, combining realisation, pity and concern, is seen only by the reader (Suntop is looking the other way at the time) and so is obviously meant to convey a message to the reader.

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the regretful smile of the Hero who is about to make The Ultimate Sacrifice to the wink of the captured rogue to signal his hidden rescuers, much can be said without words.

* Peewee Friendly seems to communicate with his big brother Freckles by this means in the ''RichieRich'' comics.

May be used by ''TheVoiceless'' as a means of communication, or used by ''TheHero'' to tell his comrades "NOW!"

The Meaningful Look is a staple of drama in all visual arts, and is often used in comedy as well. From the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa to the confidential wink given by St. Nick to the protagonist in the poem The Night Before Christmas, much can be said without words.