I'm coming into this discussion late, so please forgive any repetition. Pulling down the corner of one's eye is the visual analogue of winking or of putting one's tongue in cheek; it indicates that the statement is to be taken ironically. Would that fit the context? Note Twain's early piece "A Washoe Joke," in which he provides an elaborately detailed description of a petrified man. The petrified man, once you decode the description, turns out to be thumbing his nose at the onlooker. Or, as Twain is fond of putting it in other works, the onlooker realizes that he or she has been "sold." Hope this helps. Donna Campbell Buffalo State College