“It was a peaceful town till about a year ago when some viperous barbarian started slaughtering folks.”

“The cutting of great tracts of grass for hay stirred them into viperous action.”

“Equally, though supporting players such as Gillian Anderson as a viperous madam go heavy on the ham, the leads play it admirably straight.”

“Considering they're cousins I've never seen a more viperish attack of sibling rivalry ever.”

“Occasionally she even demonstrates some viperish spirit, as when she traded insults with another model.”

“She has a rather beautiful and open face that belies the occasionally viperish tongue sheltering within.”

“She greatly knew the viperine tongue of those elegant ladies, their fastidious counterpoints, their disregard.”

“Here, among a number of viperine snakes of about the same size, is a snake that lives on eggs.”

“But most recent movie lawyers — think of all the Turow and Grisham corporate lackeys, with their viperine love interests — are slick and square-jawed, and, before a jury, petulant and slightly hysterical.”