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(Redirected from Chelsea smile)

:''For the hard rock band, see The Chelsea Smiles.''
A 'Glasgow smile' (also known as a 'Chelsea grin' or 'Chelsea Smile') is a nickname for the practice of cutting a victim's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears: the cut - or its scars - form an "extension" of what resembles a smile. Sometimes to further hurt or even kill the victim, he or she would then be stabbed or kicked, most notably in the stomach (or in case of kicking, the groin), so that the face would be ripped apart when the victim screams. The practice originated in the Scottish city of Glasgow, which gave it its name. It also became popular in Chelsea, London (where it is known as a "Chelsea grin") and other areas of Britain, for gangs hoping to leave a message to rival gang members.
In the 2005 movie Green Street, Elijah Wood's character is jumped by members of a rival gang who threaten to cut a "Chelsea smile" across his face.
In French, it is called "Kabylian smile" (''le sourire kabyle''), because it was a practice of rebel Kabylian tribes against colonial soldiers during the French colonization of Algeria.

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See also

See also

★ Gang rivalry in Glasgow

★ The Man Who Laughs

★ Ichi the Killer

★ Black Dahlia

★ The Carver

★ Hooliganism

★ Joker