How toffee-nosed is "toffee-nosed"?

Is the word itself still understood as being used by the lower class, or does it's use connote something about the user other than disdain for the upper class? (Rephrased, is someone who uses the word toffee-nosed today, actually "toffee-nosed", that is, pretentious?)

I'd say it's mainly used by people who wouldn't be considered toffee-nosed, usually against those considered posh or acting in a snobbish manner, and it's rarely a compliment.

Here's a few tweets:

• . . I very much doubt that even the toffee nosed, pompous arses who do stumble across my page will share your views." (source)

• Oh how sad...I just got a press release saying 'Britain's stately home owners living in fuel poverty'. My poor heart is bleeding for aristos

  • sell up then u bunch of toffee nosed eejits (source)

• she called Craig a toffee nosed pretty boy. Wtf? (source)

• Watch out for my rant half hour in i was surrounded by posh snobby money obsessed toffee nosed snobs & i had to say my bit. (source)

• It was horrible Ry! I shan't be using public transport again.

  • mahaa....toffee nosed cow....oh,i finished coven tonight, hmmm.... (source)

• George Osborne on The Agenda

  • Can't stand his politics but he's actually coming across as less toffee-nosed and robotic than normal. (source)

So here one is referring to stately-home owners; another person is calling a friend toffee-nosed for not wanting to travel on the bus due to other noisy passengers; another is referring to the privately-educated, Conservative chancellor of the exchequor with an estimated personal fortune of around £4 million.

Regarding the illustration.

It does look rather like a pineapple but I suspect it is just the clipart creator's idea of a jabot. These were worn by upper-class men at various times in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and are still sometimes worn with formal Scottish attire. (illustations)

At various times either a stand-up collar or a jabot was in fashion for upper-class men. Wearing both at the same time would not be usual, but perhaps that is the point of the illustration. It's use suggests that a toffee-nosed person feels he is so superior that just one or other of these signs of status is not enough - he has to wear both.