The Enlarged Devil's Dictionary (Penguin Modern Classics)

If you find that the art of good communication has been transformed into the art of obfuscation, then this is the remedy to your confusion and annoyance. Bierce's clarity of thought, his wit and his cynical eye make The Devil's Dictionary a source of joy for the realist and those not enamoured of hypocrisy. But be warned, Bierce is even-handed: your prejudices will be exposed and punctured, and you smile as he deals it a heavy blow.

These satirical definitions show Bierce's wit and disenchantment with other people's enthusiasms at his very best.From mocking editors, politicians, critics, to giving his own sardonic meaning to everyday words, Bierce provides a whole new vocabulary to anyone seeking to compose invective or just be wittier.Examples:HARANGUE: A speech by an opponent, who is known as an harangue-otangPURITAN: A pious gentleman, who believed in letting all people do as -he- likedCONSERVATIVE: A statesman who is enamoured of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replacethem with others.Nobody escapes his eye for the ridiculous or his acerbic pen, which makes splendid fun of philosophical ideas (Nihilist: A Russian who denies the existence of anything but Tolstoi. The Leader of the school is Tolstoi.), medicine (Gout: a physician's name for the rheumatism of a rich patient), religion (Orthodox: An ox wearing the popular religious yoke), prohibition (Rum: Temperance word for all drinks except tea and water), and drops numerous verses and anecdotes to amuse his readers and win them to his cynical thinking.I'd suggest this as a great resource for journalists (Reporter: A writer who guesses his way to the truth and dispels it with a tempest of words) and comedians, and a great read for anyone who likes a good laugh.

As described, well packaged and promptly sent. Still pertinent a century after its first compilation. Medicine too acid to take except in small doses from the man who defined 'alone' as 'in bad company'... Wicked!

Great book, very funny and easy just to pick and put down when you have a couple of minutes. Many entries are laugh out loud.

excellent

Written between 1881 and 1906, I found the language a bit intrusive at the start of this book but by the end of the A section I was used to it, by the end of the B section I'd stopped noticing it and by half way through C I was charmed. Bierce is an olden days Victor Meldrew. He is cynical and defines words and the world in a pessimistic and amusing fashion.Here are a few of his definitions;Auctioneer, n. The man who proclaims with a hammer that he has picked a pocket with his tongue.Historian, n. A broad-gauge gossip.Sentiment, n. A sickly half-brother of Thought.As well as short snappy definitions there are much longer ones and ones that include poems and prose to illustrate his point.

Thanks so much!!

"Dictionary: A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and elastic."Before he disappeared into Mexico in 1913, never to be heard of again, the acerbic Ambrose Bierce had left behind a great body of journalism, satire and fiction, but 'The Devil's Dictionary' is what he'll be remembered for.It's a bleak satirical work, taking apart received ideas and redefining ordinary words to give an acid, ironic view of human affairs. Whether Bierce is throwing off a quick quip "Brute: see Husband" or looking at something from a wholly original angle (the definition of the cross for example), what emerges is a deeply cynical, darkly humourous view of the world.Whether you dip in and out for some sardonic entertainment, or read it cover to cover (perhaps keeping something like P.G. Wodehouse to hand for when Bierce's bile becomes too overwhelming, this is a book to be treasured, a sheer slice of black philosophy.Surrounded by humbug and spin, it's a relief to read someone who couldn't be naive if he tried.

Interesting definitions.

If you like Bierce's Devil's Dictionary, you will love this book. The added words and definitions have been gleaned from the author's writings. These witticisms read as well in 2016 as they did in the early 1900's.