That lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne, Th'assay so hard, so sharp the conquerynge.

-Chaucer, Geoffrey
c.1380  The Parliament of Fowls, l.1^2.

Then strip lads, and to it, though sharp be the weather, And if, by mischance, you should happen to fall, There are worse things in life than a tumble on the heather And life is itself a game of football.

-Scott, Sir Walter
  On a matchbetween the Scottish teams Ettrick andSelkirk, published in the EdinburghJournal.

This minx, of course, Is as sharp as any lynx and blackerödeeper than the drinks and quite as Hot as any hottentot, without remorse!

-Sitwell, Dame Edith Louisa
  Fa c° ade,'Hornpipe'.

A short, sharp shock. See Gilbert 355:25.

-Whitelaw,William Stephen Ian, 1st Viscount
  At the Conservative Party Conference,10 Oct, on the need for more effective treatment of young offenders.