Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1865, of unknown origin, perhaps in reference to Aleck Hoag, notorious pimp, thief, and confidence man in New York City in early 1840s [Barnhart]. See smart (adj.). Related: Smart-alecky.
Wiktionary
n. 1 One who is given to obnoxious or insolent humor; a wise guy. 2 One who is pretentious about their own cleverness or knowledge; a know-it-all. 3 One who is obnoxiously self-assured; a show off. 4 (context rare English) A well-dressed person.
WordNet
n. an upstart who makes conceited, sardonic, insolent comments [syn: wise guy, wiseacre, wisenheimer, weisenheimer]
Wikipedia
A smart aleck, also spelled smart alec, is someone whose sarcastic, wisecracking, or humorous manner is delivered in an offensive, obnoxious, or cocky way. Other closely related terms include know-it-all, smarty pants, wisenheimer, and wise guy. It may also refer to:
- Smart Alecks, a 1942 film starring the East Side Kids
- The Smart Aleck, a 1951 film directed by John Guillermin
- Smart Alec (1951 film), a 1951 pornographic film starring Candy Barr
- Smart Alec (1986 film), a 1986 film directed by Jim Wilson
- Smart Alek, a 1993 film directed by Andrew Kötting
- Smart Alex, a 1985 album by The Adicts
- Smart Alec (comics), a Marvel Comics super villain
Usage examples of "smart aleck".
One night when ever'body was yellin' an' a-cussin', your brother Al, he's a smart aleck now, he says, 'Goddamn it, Grampa, why don't you run off an' be a pirate?
I might make it through the winter without hitting a certain smart aleck, if I can figure this out.
Now, are you going to stop being a smart aleck and listen, or do I have to call Jim Bob long distance all the way to Hot Springs and tell him that you're shirking your duty as chief of police?