"Part of the joy of this whole series is that it's about vampires, " Ball says with a smirk later in the day.

FORBES

"One vice leads to another, " he says with a smirk.

NPR: Somalia's Farah: Humanizing a Broken Place

Asked about the action that followed his posting, Due Diligence replied with a seeming smirk.

FORBES: Dangerous Chatter

There's a lot of faulty wiring this time round, technology that seems as flawed as its inventor, but if his problems are largely of his own making Tony remains supremely unfazed, always primed with a quip and a smirk.

CNN: Review: 'Iron Man 3' a sweetly calibrated blockbuster

Then his eyes -- those baby blues -- light up with a droll smirk and he mentions to his audience that he just heard on the news that there's been "another shooting" in the States (this one in Alabama).

CNN: Hugh Grant is feeling 'Blue'

It is time to begin pondering these and other questions as Silly Season begins, even if only reluctantly and with a knowing half-smirk.

FORBES: The Silly Season of Forecasts

They smirk with glee when a colleague makes a bad presentation or loses a key deal, because they think that will help their own careers.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

While Obama was talking, Romney more frequently had an openness in his visage, often with a slight smile on his face and very soft eye contact. (Some may view the smile as a smirk, but that is the confirmation bias at play.) I noticed this frequently in the Republican presidential debates.

FORBES: Three Methods of Persuasion You Can Copy From Obama and Romney (and one from Joe Biden that you should not copy)