If turning up a corner of one's mouth is a smirk, what is turning it down? The expression I have in mind looks like this emoji. (This emoji is supposed to represent confusion but I'm using the expression to convey an apologetic manner rather than a nonplussed one. The expression I have in mind is usually accompanied with a shaking of the head or a shrug, as if saying, "Sorry, I don't know.")
Only thing off the top of my head is "pursed lips". Its not exactly the same thing as a smirk, but it might do!
I can't see the emoji if you posted one but, depending on context: - A sheepish smile / a sheepish shrug. - An apologetic smile / shrug. - A grimace. Sometimes people grimace when they realise they've done something wrong, or someone else is in trouble.
I'm going to guess it's some version of this one: I use it a lot, but there's no single word I can think of for that, for just one side of the mouth pulling down. I know what it means when I see it (innate human facial recognition software is pretty neat), but a single word for it, no. When I pay attention to what my mouth is doing when I pull that face in real life, the corner of my mouth isn't actually pulling down. It's my lower lip pushing up against my upper lip, and kinda' to one side. Why doesn't a half frown of confusion work?
I would change it to a word that readers can visualise easily - rather than try to shoehorn exactly what I mean[t], this seems exhausting for little reward, more interesting even to work with the wrong word & see where it heads/takes you.
I can't seem to smile or frown with only half my mouth/face... when I try it definitely looks like I've suffered a stroke.
I don't think that's it. In context, Zarakharn learns that Daktarash has an informant who recommended he sell the sword to him they are discussing. Zarakharn asks what he looked like and Daktarash makes this face and says, "Hooded. Didn't see much of him," as if sorry he doesn't have more information to provide.
"Sorry, I didn't see," he said, with a rueful twist of his lips. Eh. Maybe. Edited to add: "rueful twist of his lips" gives me 1,210 Google results. "rueful twist of her lips" is 1,040. I guess I didn't invent it.