Well, I would be more direct than you, mav. I do not share Helen's perception of a snob. I do not think that being a snob means merely striving after social superiority, nor do I think that such usage would be common here. To be sure, those who merely strive could be snobs, but the word is in no way exclusive to such ones, at least as I both use it and hear it used. I have had dealings with plenty of snobs of both the wannabe and the alreadyare varieties.