Vocabulary Time Out
Category: Thinking Allowed...
Posted Wednesday, October 04, 2006 at 01:23 PM [GMT-6]

So, tell me this. If the noun form of the adjective "ironic" is "irony," why isn't the noun form of the adjective "sardonic" "sardony"?*

And should there be a comma between the last two words of the previous sentence?

We now return you to your regularly scheduled international nuclear crisis.

*The correct nounish manifestation is, of course, "sardonicism**," which makes sense, I suppose, since the meaning of "sardonic" is closely akin to that of "sarcasm," (he wrote, displaying not a smidgen of either in his demeanor).

**The best quote via a good googling of the word is this one: "For the record, yes, I too love sardonicism...now that I know what it is."

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Comments

Which makes the adjectival form of "sarcasm," "sarcasmic?" ;-)

And I'm fond of commas, so sue me. I'm putting one in, right or wrong.

Posted by: gwynne at October 4, 2006 01:54 PM

So, um, now we know who has even more time on his hands than I do.

Though, along these lines, I still think those northern neighbors of ours live in Canadia if they're going to insist on being Canadians.

Posted by: beth at October 4, 2006 02:19 PM

I'm putting one in, right or wrong.

Shouldn't that be, "I'm putting one in, right, or wrong."?

Beth, somebody's got to think about these things, and it might as well be me. Or you.

Posted by: Eric at October 4, 2006 04:21 PM
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