The phrase "an expression of affection" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when describing a gesture, word, or action that conveys love or fondness towards someone.
Example: "A simple hug can be seen as an expression of affection that strengthens relationships."
Alternatives: "a show of love" or "a display of fondness."
But then I realised that her bequest was an expression of affection towards my father and his family from her late husband, and it touched me.
So in Romani when you tell someone that you love him you might say, 'I eat your heart' or 'I eat your belly.' It's an expression of affection.
Petting may be done for its own sake as an expression of affection and a source of pleasure, and it may occur as a preliminary to coitus.
The comedies of the Judd Apatow stable are full of male bonding that revels in pseudo-sodomitic signifiers, especially Superbad and Pineapple Express: one overflowed with cartoon cocks, the other with references to gay sex as an expression of affection.
They cheered for the pope, calling out "Viva il Papa!" — long live the Pope — and clapping out his name rhythmically: "Be-Ne-De-To!" Dozens of homemade banners — mostly sheets stapled to wooden planks — swayed throughout the square, each an expression of affection for Benedict, who stunned the world last week in becoming the first pope to retire in 600 years.
It's an expression of affection for all mother tongues, regardless of whether they're mine, yours or someone else's.
Wagner's straits are so dire because any expression of affection for him is corrupted by the possibility of self-interest, which means the only emotional responses he can trust are those that denigrate him.
Russia is a more prosperous place these days, which may account for lovers' increasing willingness to spend a bit on a ritual expression of affection.
The tone of voice, a nuanced expression of affection, a joke even, may have been enough to soften Peter's 18-year-old heart.
Though Tom seems to enjoy spending time with Eli, he is coming up short in the spontaneous-expression-of-affection department.
The nanny, whose interview included an eloquent expression of affection seven years after she left Clemens's employ, was made to sound like someone who had just slipped into the country in the back of a truck.
