There was a laughing devil in his sneer.

Lord Byron 1788-1824: The Corsair. Canto i. Stanza 9.

Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,

And without sneering teach the rest to sneer;

Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike,

Just hint a fault, and hesitate dislike.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744): Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot. Prologue to the Satires. Line 201.

Sapping a solemn creed with solemn sneer.

Lord Byron 1788-1824: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. Canto iii. Stanza 107.

The world goes up and the world goes down,

And the sunshine follows the rain;

And yesterday's sneer and yesterday's frown

Can never come over again.

Charles Kingsley (1819-1875): Dolcino to Margaret.