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Sunday October 24, 2004

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acerbic \uh-SUR-bik\ , adjective:
Sharp, biting, or acid in temper, expression, or tone.

But more than that, he is a social critic, and an efficient one, acerbic and devastating.
-- Benoit Aubin, "Quebec's King of Comedy", Maclean's, August 27, 2001

Since I started out as a writer many years ago, I have built a reputation as an acerbic, mean-spirited observer of the human condition.
-- Joe Queenan, My Goodness: A Cynic's Short-Lived Search for Sainthood

Joey gained a reputation as a smart aleck adept at delivering acerbic one-liners.
-- "Joseph Heller, Author of 'Catch-22,' Dies at 76", New York Times, December 14, 1999

Acerbic comes from Latin acerbus, "bitter, sour, severe, harsh."

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for acerbic

 

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