Tuesday, May 17, 2005

A brief lesson on the definition of "irony."

We both bought rollerblades so we could enjoy the fresh ocean breeze, take in the soft late-spring sunshine, and people-watch, all while looking like a couple of idiots.

After we came back from our first successful foray, we left the skates out in the living room because 1) we're lazy and 2) we haven't figured out where to put them in our TinyHouse. Last night, Chris slammed his toe into one of them, rendering them effectively useless for quite some time.

THAT is irony, ladies and gentleman: incongruity between what is expected to happen and what actually occurs. If you or a loved one has been injured by the misuse of the word irony, or if you have any other questions about diction and usage, please do not hesitate to contact my blog today.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, to be clear, there is no irony in sitting down chain smoking as you wait for a server at the Cheesecake Factory WHILST listening to the muzak version of Killing Me Softly overrhead? I mean, truly, tell me if I am wrong. After all I was raised (partially) by a Canadian and they have no clue what irony really is (10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife). 26+ years and I'm still confused on this subject. Help!
UDGS

Elizabeth said...

No, it is not. It is a humorous coincidence.

An example of irony would be if someone caused your head to explode whilst playing "Killing Me Softly" at like 1000 decibels.

Or something.