Risus sardonicus

I am presently reading another blast from the past in the form of G. K. Chesteron's autobiography, the chap pointed up for me by the otherwise rather odd Houellebecq (see January 17th 2011 in the other place). In due course, to sit alongside my privately bound collection of 'Father Brown' stories, a hardback which looks as if it started life as a fat paperback.

My eye was caught this morning by the bit included above, which made me realise that I did not have a clue what either sardonic or sarcastic really meant, despite making occasional use of the first and reasonably frequent use of the second. So off to the usually trusty OED to learn that sarcastic was derived from a late Greek word meaning to tear flesh or gnash teeth. From which the current usage of the word seems to flow quite naturally. So far so good. But turning to sardonic it offers very little help at all, appearing to mean much the same thing as sarcastic. And being a little early in the morning, I entirely missed the accompanying reference to sardonian. But I did wonder to where to turn to next, and lighted upon my also usually trusty miniature Littré which actually lists sardonique under sardonien and I learn that the latter is a Sardinian plant, the ingestion of which is said to cause a convulsive laugh. A sort of involuntary laugh involving a grimace. The Chestonian anecdote starts to make a bit more sense.

Turning back to the OED, I do now pick up its reference to sardonian which in second meaning is one who flatters with deadly intent, this by virtue of the Sardinian plant which is said to kill by exciting laughter. All of which says to me that dictionaries can be a bit sterile. A word lives by the use that is made of it, and if one does not use it or come across it much, it is going to lose its proper savour.

PS: chaining from one word to another, something that Littré seems to provoke, I learn that astrum is early German, via late Latin, for hearth. Is there any connection with astral? But that must be another story.