Ambroise Bierce was a civil war hero who survived to tell us not only what he thought of war and the people who run them, but compiled a devil's definition of a host of terms and words. He gives the cynic's description of the meaning of each entry in the book. Bierce also includes real and invented references to further clarify the scorn with which he filtered the world around him. Lots of fun, though a little knowledge of history and Bierce's life will help you get the jokes. ( )

humorist's definitions

A classic. ( )

This dictionary maybe over 90 years old, but it is full of funny sarcasm, and black/dark humor- this is one for the shelves if you enjoy bitter, snarky cynicism and aren't easily offended. Some of the entries are a little bland, outdated or controversial, but it is all tongue-in-cheek satire anyway.

A few example definitions found in The Devil's Dictionary:

Edible: Good to eat or wholesome to digest. Some examples of edible- a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man and a man to a worm.

Hippogriff: N. An animal (now extinct) which was half horse, half griffin. The griffin itself is a compound creature- half lion, half eagle. The Hippogriff is therefore only one quarter eagle- which is two dollars and fifty cents in gold. Zoology is full of surprises!

Omen: A sign that something will happen if nothing happens.

Politeness: The most acceptable form of hypocrisy

Wit: the salt with which the humorist spoils his intellectual cookery by leaving it out ( )

If he wasn't dead, I would go to Mexico and look for Bierce. This year's junior research paper for English 11 was fun, because he was my topic. A lovely little book of definitions that I might not agree with but can sure respect his wit and humor. Makes me wonder what else I'm missing that he wrote. ( )