John Richardson's piece on Judy Chicago is delightful, insightful, and nicely acerb.    From Wordnik.com.  [Leftovers] Reference

The morning my review ran, I got a call from an agent friend who is cultivated, extraordinarily smart and superbly acerb.    From Wordnik.com.  [When Words Fail] Reference

This way came Dr. John, in visage, in shape, in hue, as unlike the dark, acerb, and caustic little professor, as the fruit of the Hesperides might be unlike the sloe in the wild thicket; as the high-couraged but tractable.    From Wordnik.com.  [Villette] Reference

Thereupon followed a soft discussion that was as near being acerb as nails are near velvet paws.    From Wordnik.com.  [Vittoria — Complete] Reference

She denied that stenographers could ever form a union, but she could not answer his acerb, "Why not?".    From Wordnik.com.  [The Job An American Novel] Reference

Separated from a certain fascination that there was for her in Edward's acerb wit, she saw that he was doing a dastardly thing in cold blood.    From Wordnik.com.  [Rhoda Fleming — Complete] Reference

He had been giving a dinner followed by a concert, and the deafening strains of the music clashed with my acerb spirit, irritating me excessively.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Adventures of Harry Richmond — Complete] Reference

Moors are changeable in their wills: -- fill thy purse with money: the food that to him now is as luscious as locusts shall be to him shortly as acerb as the coloquintida.    From Wordnik.com.  [Othello] Reference

Yet his carriage was assuredly not that of middle age, and indeed, the total of his personality, neither young nor old, neither callow nor acerb, neither lightly unreserved nor too gravely severe, offered certain problems not capable of instant solution.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Law of the Land] Reference

This way came Dr. John, in visage, in shape, in hue, as unlike the dark, acerb, and caustic little professor, as the fruit of the Hesperides might be unlike the sloe in the wild thicket; as the high-couraged but tractable Arabian is unlike the rude and stubborn "sheltie.".    From Wordnik.com.  [Villette] Reference

One of these is by converting the acerb juices of some fruits into sugar, as in the baking of unripe pears, and the bruising of unripe apples; in both which situations the life of the vegetable is destroyed, and the conversion of the harsh juice into a sweet one must be performed by a chemical process; and not by.    From Wordnik.com.  [Zoonomia, Vol. II Or, the Laws of Organic Life] Reference

There was nothing acerb.    From Wordnik.com.  [The Wedding Ring A Series of Discourses for Husbands and Wives and Those Contemplating Matrimony] Reference