There was the face he yearned to see.: never again inscrutable; never again would he need to wonder what lay behind the smiling mouth and the delicate, malicious wit.

"You and your malicious wit," he muttered.

Writing in The New York Times, Frank Rich said the play's malicious wit was "fueled further by a pair of brilliant lead players."

But the malicious wit, the dark underside to the twinkling, was missing here.

Even though he lost his powerful magic, Malcolm decides to use his malicious wit and cunning to go through with his revenge.

Rosenthal's usually malicious wit was legendary.

The rich, languid voice, dripping with condescension, the malicious wit, the effortless charm, the heartfelt contempt for one and all were on full display in real life.

This is a compelling and, one must add, thoroughly nasty evening, its malicious wit fueled further by a pair of brilliant lead players, Lindsay Duncan and Alan Rickman.

Earnestness always invites malicious wit.

Maurice Bowra filled many pages of "Our Age," but he is brought back for an even longer (and fonder) appearance here, despite the malicious wit for which Bowra was famous.