JON WINOKUR is the author of 20 reference books and anthologies, including, most recently, "The Big Book of Irony." WHEN it was revealed in 2003 that William J. Bennett, author of “The Book of Virtues ...

In Season 7 of the television series The Simpsons — perhaps you’ve heard of it — there is an episode entitled “Homerpalooza.” In this episode, Homer Simpson becomes famous for his beer belly. Because ...

Like simile, metaphor, personification and hyperbole, irony is a very useful figure of speech. Writers and other creative workers regularly make use of it, including comedians. It can, however, also ...

“WELL, that’s just great.” Quick, what does that sentence mean? Is the speaker acknowledging some good news, celebrating a joyful event that just took place? Do we take the statement at face value? Or ...

As the great British comic, Ricky Gervais once implied, England and America may not so much be divided by a common tongue, but by their distinctive use (and in the case of the Brits, their abuse) of ...

Have you ever found yourself about to say, “that’s ironic,” only to stop yourself – unsure whether you were using the word correctly? If you’re like most people, you probably know irony when you see ...

Everyone knows that Americans don't understand irony. Soon after moving to England from the U.S., I discovered that my country was universally assumed to be an irony-free zone. I was at a dinner party ...