Throughout the entire dinner, she endeavoured to laugh in the popular female way, i.e., as the tinkling of a merry bell. She accomplished it. It sounded less ghastly than I would have liked.
I’ve read the whole “laugh like a tinkling bell” bit in many books, and I’ve yet to be able to imagine what in the world that might sound like, or how human vocal cords could produce any noise comparable to the thinking of bells. I assume this is the author poking fun at the saying as well.
Reminds me of “a watery smile”. I understand it’s usually meant to convey someone smiling after having cried, but my imagination spits out an image of someone with a mouth full of water that dribbles out as they smile.
