British academics have become less sniffy about commerce now that more of their colleagues are buying fancy cars.

ECONOMIST: The government and entrepreneurs

Apparently, quite a few of his best students drop computer science at A-level because top universities are still sniffy about it.

BBC: Can the UK raise its game?

Some Russian missile specialists helping Iran are sniffy about its technological prowess.

ECONOMIST: Great Satan v axis of evil | The

Britain had been pretty sniffy about early moves towards European integration.

BBC: Part Three - France and the World

The European Central Bank, which is not a lender of last resort even to banks in the euro zone, has been sniffy about lending to countries outside it.

ECONOMIST: Eastern Europe

New Labour has not said how it is going to make up the likely loss of privatisation receipts if it carries on being sniffy about privatisation in office.

ECONOMIST: Clue: not John Major

It received a predictably sniffy response: "not a priority".

BBC: State of Play 1 - The Tories

Purists are sniffy about the likes of Regus.

ECONOMIST: Another alternative to the office

But now it is not so sniffy.

ECONOMIST: LIFFE alone

With Europe's unemployment now falling, and its people increasingly sniffy about the sorts of jobs they are prepared to do, or too ill-equipped to do the high-tech ones being created, the continent's workforce is in need of renewal as never before.

ECONOMIST: Europe needs more immigrants

Although nutritionists are often a little sniffy about dietary supplements, pointing out instead how important it is to eat the right food in the first place, there are corners of society in which people lack either the knowledge or the means to do so, or simply choose to eat poorly.

ECONOMIST: Diet and behaviour