Ah - OK - No, I understand now, Eliza, and in answer to your question - No I was not sneering. I do wonder though how a sneer can be implied through the word laugh. Maybe Humpty Dumpty was on to something after all. He would have had a great time on the internet wouldn't he :-)

I think it is Little Hawk on the other thread that says, far more eloquontly, that it is more like how peope interpret what is meant by words. I could indeed imply a sneer in face to face or even purely vocal conversation. But on the internet we have only the actual words to go by and the verb to laugh should only ever be used to mean to laugh and to sneer should only ever be used to sneer.

I think you may have misinterpretted my intentions, or maybe been mis-informed? Anyhow, either way, I am a great believer in calling a spade a spade and a laugh a laugh. And a laugh was the whole point of the thread. Something that a lot of others are resolutely ignoring.

Cheers

MP