the.com/irony
the gap between what you meant and what the universe decided to do instead
means A situation, statement, or outcome where the apparent meaning is the opposite of the intended or expected one, often in a way that's pointed or strangely fitting.
from From the Greek 'eirōneia,' meaning dissimulation or feigned ignorance — the trick of the 'eirōn,' a stock character in Greek comedy who played dumb to expose a boastful fool. Socrates wielded this so famously (asking 'innocent' questions that quietly demolished his opponents) that 'Socratic irony' became its own thing. The word traveled through Latin 'ironia' into the European languages, gradually widening from 'saying one thing while meaning another' to the broader cosmic sense of expectation betrayed.
- greek roots
- From eironeia, meaning sly understatement or feigned ignorance
- socratic weapon
- Socrates faked dumb to expose Athens' fake smart
- three flavors
- Verbal, dramatic, and situational each betray differently
- often misused
- Most things called ironic are just coincidence
- alanis problem
- Her famous song lists almost no actual irony
the titanic — unsinkable ship sank on maiden voyage in 1912 after hitting iceberg
henry lee mcintyre — lifeguard who invented cpr drowned in 1968 at age 68
allan poe's death — horror writer found in severe distress on baltimore streets in 1849, died in asylum