Hanky-twist

There must in other fields be analogous forms of the brow-knitting and hanky-twisting which have accompanied the more narcissistic aspects of the 'literary turn' in anthropology (of which Writing Culture is least typical) and cognate fields.

After years of hanky-twisting, here we are, irreversibly committed to this thing.

Cinema's standout bad guys didn't hanky-twist their lives away whimpering “Gee, am I doing something wrong?”