The Sardonic laugh
Preserved but no longer current.
Also seen as: The Sardinian laugh
Meaning · English
A laugh caused, it was supposed, by a plant growing m Sardinia, of which they who ate died laughing. — TRENCH: Words> lecture iv, p. 176.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Sardonic laugh” mean?
A laugh caused, it was supposed, by a plant growing m Sardinia, of which they who ate died laughing. — TRENCH: Words> lecture iv, p. 176.
Is “The Sardonic laugh” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.