skep·tic
also scep·tic (skptk)
[Latin Scepticus, disciple of Pyrrho of Elis,
from Greek Skeptikos, from skeptesthai, to examine.
cyn·ic
(snk)
[Latin cynicus, Cynic philosopher, from Greek kunikos,
from kun, kun-, dog. See kwon- in
Such are the real dictionary definitions of the stance which Ambrose Bierce adopted in considering the world. Beginning in 1881 and continuing to 1906, he created a series of sardonic word definitions of his own. Many of these were collected and published as The Cynic's Word Book, which he later protested was "a name which the author had not the power to reject or happiness to approve." So in 1911, he pulled together a collection that was more to his own liking and called it The Devil's Dictionary. The entries are a tad uneven in quality, but most are amusing and some are great. Each reader will have his own favorites, some of mine are as follows : ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough
to borrow from,
ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union
of two thieves who
BIGOT, n. One who is obstinately and zealously attached
to an opinion
BORE, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen. CONSULT, v.i. To seek another's disapproval
of a course already
CYNIC, n. A blackguard whose faulty vision
sees things as they are,
DICTIONARY, n. A malevolent literary device
for cramping the
DISCRIMINATE, v.i. To note the particulars in which
one person or
EDUCATION, n. That which discloses to the wise and
disguises from the
FUTURE, n. That period of time in which our affairs
prosper, our
HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events
mostly unimportant, which are brought about
IDIOT, n. A member of a large and powerful tribe
whose influence in
POLITICS, n. A strife of interests masquerading as
a contest of
And, my choice for the very best among them : CONSERVATIVE, n. A statesman who is enamored
of existing evils, as
By all means, read it and pick out your own; you're sure to find a few that tickle your fancy. (Reviewed:) Grade: (A) Tweet Websites:-Ambrose Gwinett Bierce (1842-1914) (kirjasto) -ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA : "ambrose bierce" -ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA : bierce, ambrose -ETEXT : The Devil's Dictionary : Searchable Version (malacandra) -ETEXT : The Devil's Dictionary (Literature@SunSite) -ETEXT : The Devil's Dictionary (Erik Max Francis) -ETEXT : An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce -ETEXT : Killed At Resaca by Ambrose Bierce -ETEXT : A Horseman in the Sky by Ambrose Bierce -ETEXT : Fantastic Fables by Ambrose Bierce Online Collection -ETEXTS : SELECTED POETRY OF AMBROSE BIERCE (1842-1914?) (Representative Poetry On-line, Department of English at the University of Toronto) -ETEXTS : Poems -ETEXT : Ambrose Bierce's stinging denunciation of Oscar Wilde (appeared in the March 31, 1882, edition of "The Wasp.") -ANNOTATED ETEXTS : Ambrose Bierce Books Central (Encyclopaedia of the Self) -The Ambrose Bierce Appreciation Society -Don Swaim's Ambrose Bierce Site -Ambrose Bierce Patron Saint of Satire -Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) Alan Gullette -The San Antonio College LitWeb Ambrose Bierce Page -Literary Research Guide: Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914) -PAL: Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) -Bierce, Ambrose (The Literary Gothic) -Ambrose Bierce (Spartacus) -Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) (Blue Pete Biographies) -Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (Masonic Biographies) -ESSAY : Forked Tongue : The Language of Serpent in the Enlarged Devil's Dictionary of Ambrose Bierce (Andrew Graham) -ESSAY : Murphy's Law : Ambrose Bierce (1999) (John Patrick Michael Murphy) -ESSAY : Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914? (Stacey Ann Singletary, Student, University of North Carolina at Pembroke) -ARCHIVES : "ambrose bierce" (Find Articles) -REVIEW: of AMBROSE BIERCE Alone in Bad Company by Roy Morris Jr. (David S. Reynolds, NY Times Book Review) -REVIEW : of Ambrose Bierce: Alone in Bad Company by Roy Morris Jr. (Richard von Busack, MetroActive) -REVIEW : of Ambrose Bierce: Alone in Bad Company by Roy Morris Jr. (Andrew Sargent, Book Wire) -REVIEW: of The Unwritten War: American Writers and the Civil War by Daniel Aaron Gone With the Wind (C. VANN WOODWARD, NY Review of Books) |
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