Possible Clues:

• In a snippy manner
• In an abrupt and discourteous manner
• In a terse manner
• In a terse way
• Abruptly, copper nabs last robber with costly half
• Abruptly
• In a rudely brief manner
• Snappily kinky, with little time to get involved
• In short, not to have had a straight hair with a little tea in it
• Kinky boot's heel is thrust in abruptly