the.com/derision
Laughter with its sleeves rolled up, ready to wound.
means Contemptuous mockery that treats someone as beneath serious response — scorn dressed up as a joke.
from From Latin deridere — de- ('down') plus ridere ('to laugh') — literally 'to laugh down' at someone. Ridere is also the root of 'ridicule' and 'ridiculous,' its milder cousins; derision is the harder-edged member of that family, laughter aimed like a weapon rather than shared like a joke.
- root
- latin deridere, to laugh down at
- distinction
- mockery with an audience, contempt performed publicly
- tactic
- cheaper than argument, often mistaken for winning
- tell
- usually masks fear of being taken seriously