OT: Sarcasm (was: Negation as the indicative standard)

Tristan McLeay wrote at 2004-01-20 19:08:53 (-0500)
 > On Tue, 20 Jan 2004, Philippe Caquant wrote:
 >
 > > This is called irony, consisting of letting understand
 > > the contrary of what's been said.
 >
 > Most certainly not, though there is a myth amongst (some) Americans
 > and Brits that sarcasm is irony (Terry Pratchett for
 > one...). Sarcasm is when you directly say the opposite of what you
 > mean (and doesn't need to be offensive or biting, but can express
 > something similar to compasion, as when you say 'fun' when someone
 > describes an unenjoyable they have just/are just about to
 > experience(d), or 'exciting' for boredorm et sim).
 >

Sarcasm most certainly _is_ irony.  That is not an equative statement;
"sarcasm" is not a synonym but a hyponym of "irony".


New Oxford Dictionary of English:

| irony /'AIr@ni/ >noun (pl. -ies) [mass noun] the expression of one's
|   meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite,
|   typically for humorous or emphatic eppect: _'Don't go overboard
|   with the gratitude,' he rejoined with heavy irony'_.
|
|   *a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary
|    to what one expects and is often amusing as a result: [with
|    clause] _the irony is that I thought he could help me._ *(also
|    dramatic or tragic irony) a literary technique, originally used
|    in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's
|    words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although
|    unknown to the character.
|
| - ORIGIN early 16th cent. (also denoting Socratic irony): via Latin
|   from Greek _eiro:neia_ 'simulated ignorance', from _eiro:n_
|   'dissembler'


| sarcasm >noun [mass noun] the use of irony to mock or convey contempt:
|   _she didn't like the note of sarcasm in his voice_.
|
| - ORIGIN Mid 16th cent.: from French _sarcasme_, or via late Latin
|   from late Greek _sarkasmos_, from Greek _sarkazein_ 'tear flesh',
|   in late Greek 'gnash the teeth, speak bitterly' (from _sarx_,
|   _sark-_ 'flesh').