Noun

Singular sarcasm

Plural sarcasms

sarcasm (plural sarcasms)

  1. (uncountable) A form of humor that is marked by mocking with irony, sometimes conveyed in speech with vocal over-emphasis. Saying something that is opposite of what is intended to be meant.
  2. (countable) An act of sarcasm.

From Wiktionary under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Tue Jun 16 02:32:07 2009

It comes from the ancient Greek σαρκάζω (sarkazo) meaning 'to tear flesh' but the ancient Greek word for the rhetorical concept of taunting was instead χλευασμός (chleyasmόs). Sarcasm appears several times in the Old Testament, for example:

Lo, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?

Achish, king of Gath, I Sam 21:10-15

Oscar Wilde, the Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel, also known for his wit, declared that

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

Hostile, critical comments may be expressed in an ironic way such as saying "don't work too hard" to a lazy worker. The use of irony introduces an element of humour which may make the criticism seem more polite and less aggressive but understanding the subtlety of this usage requires second-order interpretation of the speaker's intentions. This sophisticated understanding is lacking in people with brain damage, dementia and autism, and this perception has been located by MRI in the right parahippocampal gyrus.

Understanding sarcasm is a very complicated process to grasp. It is considered to be one of the last and most advanced concepts for children to comprehend. It is usually not fully understood till the age of twelve and sometimes much later.

In certain Ethiopic languages, sarcasm is indicated with a sarcasm mark, a character that looks like a backwards question mark at the end of a sentence, similar to Alcanter de Brahm's proposed irony mark (؟). Subtitles, such as in Teletext, sometimes use an exclamation mark in brackets to mark sarcasm: (!).

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Thu Jun 11 22:01:22 2009

Barmy Baptist resorts to sarcasm in dismissing new atheist book
freethinker.co.uk
Barmy Baptist resorts to sarcasm in dismissing new atheist book

Barry Duke

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:28:12 GM

But, according to Opposing Views, rather than attempt to counter the arguments in The Six Ways of Atheism, the Baptist Press s Charlie Warren, . sarcastically. wrote: Prepare to padlock and board up your church. Shut down all associations ...

LADADIDA.....DO: SARCASM is a body's natural defense against ...
al-et-he-ia.blogspot.com
LADADIDA.....DO: SARCASM is a body's natural defense against ...

aletheia

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:35:00 GM

SARCASM. is a body's natural defense against stupid people. Good Morning! Today is actually my grandmother's birthday! Going over for dinner later. My weekend was pretty hectic. MAD project was a success! ...

A Daily Dose of Zen Sarcasm !: At Least We Get To Skip The ...
madamemeow.com
A Daily Dose of Zen Sarcasm !: At Least We Get To Skip The ...

Madame M.

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:44:14 GM

Apparently, it's been fifteen years since I've graduated high school, or so the idle tongues tell me. ___ Back sometime in the middle nineties, I remember cruising down a street while driving way too fast with someone who, ...

From Google Blog Search: "sarcasm"
Mon Jun 29 01:12:19 2009

Custom search only sarcasm sites:

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Wed Jun 24 23:10:11 2009
Koutoufides says he was laughing at John Elliott, not his comments - Melbourne Herald Sun
news.google.com
Koutoufides says he was laughing at John Elliott, not his comments

Melbourne Herald Sun

But Koutoufides told heraldsun.com.au today the laughter was sarcasm directed towards Mr Elliott, and not in response to the issue of sexual assault. ...



and more »
A Father's Day tribute: My dad the birdman - The Daily News of Newburyport
news.google.com
A Father's Day tribute: My dad the birdman

The Daily News of Newburyport

The sarcasm was back, if only for show. I didn't want to seem too easily converted. We trekked through a grove of trees, searching high and low for the owl. ...



and more »
City planning must protect constitutional property rights - Tulsa Beacon
news.google.com
City planning must protect constitutional property rights

Tulsa Beacon

Sarcasm aside, I recognize that cities are facing terrible budget problems, and many are facing bankruptcy. Some are in difficulty out of their own poor ...



and more »

From Google News Search: "sarcasm"
Thu Jun 25 20:41:48 2009

What exactly is so bad about sarcasm?
Q. I've heard that it's really bad for your relationships and view of the world and it screws up everything, but why? This is not sarcastic by the way, I am seriously wondering how sarcasm affects people and if I should try to stop being sarcastic. See, a lot of you said it's horrible and attracts unhealthy people and whatnot, but what I'm interested in is WHY it does those things. Also, how to stop sarcasm? I always just say stuff (people set me up for it so nicely!) then afterwards I'm like "I'm sorry, that was really mean, I didn't really mean it" and stuff...
Asked by Mariah - Fri Sep 22 21:17:46 2006 - - 27 Answers - 2 Comments

A. Sarcasm is an indirect and one-direction form of communication. Instead of creating a dialogue and connection, it puts up a barrier to them. For example, if I say "oh yes you are so smart" in a sarcastic way to some fact you quoted to me, I am doing a number of things - shutting down dialogue over the subject we were discussing, telling you I question your smartness, and preventing you from refuting my question about your smartness. Because I just said you are smart, you can't respond by saying, "but I am smart," the sarcastic response is, "I know I just said so didn't I!" Therefore it is very difficult to respond to a sarcastic comment or even a question because of the subterfuge and hostility it often embodies. It is a way of… [cont.]
Answered by kellyault20001 - Mon Sep 25 11:45:33 2006

How can I get rid of my sarcasm and negativity?
Q. My sister and mom get upset with my sarcastic remarks but sometimes I can't help it, is there any way to make me stop.
Asked by Mabel A - Tue Apr 10 17:18:44 2007 - - 10 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Volunteer to help a senior citizen. This will make you grateful for your health and youth, which should cut down on your desire to see things sarcastically.
Answered by 1,1,2,3,3,4, 5,5,6,6,6, 8,8,8,10 - Tue Apr 10 17:27:47 2007

Why is sarcasm called the lowest form of humour?
Q. Surely to be sarcastic you must have a high level of social cognition, be able to find the smallest fault in a person's statement and be quick about it to boot... No no, I meant humour. Wit already implies a higher level of intelligence.
Asked by General Kala - Tue Apr 15 05:49:54 2008 - - 8 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Sarcastic comments are usually nasty, sometimes sneering, bitter,ridiculing remarks. Facetious comments,on the other hand, are "smart - a r s e ", witty comments, very clever yet still funny & not offensive. So, when someone mis-interprets your comment, you say: "I wasn't being sarcastic, I was being facetious!"
Answered by cloud43 - Tue Apr 15 06:25:14 2008

From Yahoo Answer Search: "sarcasm"
Wed Jun 24 04:10:12 2009

Sarcasm (from the Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmos), mockery, sarcasm) is a form of bitter or cutting irony.

Quotes

  • Sarcasm I now see to be, in general, the language of the Devil; for which reason I have, long since, as good as renounced it.
  • Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.
  • Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on earth tolerable.
  • Sarcasm is not the rapier of wit its wielders seem to believe it to be, but merely a club: it may, by dint of brute force, occasionally raise bruises, but it never cuts or pierces.

External links

Wikipedia has an article about: Sarcasm Look up sarcasm in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Category: Discourse

From Wikiquote under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Fri Jun 26 15:27:36 2009