Books with title The devil's dictionary

''The Devil's Dictionary'' is a humorous look at English vocabulary by American writer and columnist Ambrose Bierce. When you first hear the title "The Devil's Dictionary", you may think the book has something to do with Satanism or black magic.This couldn't be further from the truth. Bierce liked the title because he felt that he was being devilish or mischievous in his satirical treatment of common words and phrases. Hence, "The Devil's Dictionary" is a satirical rendition of the dictionary. Satire is the literary use of humour, exaggeration, and irony in order to point out specific issues in society. Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary uses the format of a dictionary to redefine popular words in the American vernacular, including marriage, religion, lawyer, and conservative. The definitions seem to define the words as they really are in society rather than as the set definition laid down by scholars. Not only does he point out the absurdity of society, but he also takes jabs at people in powerful positions, such as lawyers, government officials, and lexicographers. In many of the entries, Bierce not only provides a definition, but he also provides a contextual example.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American journalist and author Ambrose Bierce. Originally published in 1906 as The Cynic's Word Book, it features Bierce's witty and often ironic spin on many common English words. Retitled in 1911, it has been followed by numerous "unabridged" versions compiled after Bierce's death, which include definitions absent from earlier editions.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical "reference" book written by Ambrose Bierce. The book offers reinterpretations of terms in the English language, lampooning cant and political doublespeak, as well as other aspects of human foolishness and frailty. It was originally published in 1906 as The Cynic's Word Book before being retitled in 1911. Modern "unabridged" versions that include Bierce "definitions" that were for various reasons missed by earlier editions continue to be popular a century later.

American satirist AMBROSE GWINNETT BIERCE (1842-c. 1914) began his satirical redefinitions of ordinary words in a weekly newspaper in 1881, and saw them first collected in *The Cynic's Word Book* in 1906. But it was with the 1911 republication as *The Devil's Dictionary* that he struck comedy gold for the ages with his pointedly mocking and ironic riffs on politics, business, religion, the arts, and American culture at large. From *abasement* ("a decent and customary mental attitude in the presence of wealth or power; peculiarly appropriate in an employee when addressing an employer") to *zoology* ("the science and history of the animal kingdom, including its king, the House Fly"), *The Devil's Dictionary* remains as witty today as it was a century ago.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American journalist and author Ambrose Bierce. Originally published in 1906 as The Cynic's Word Book, it features Bierce's witty and often ironic spin on many common English words. Retitled in 1911, it has been followed by numerous "unabridged" versions compiled after Bierce's death, which include definitions absent from earlier editions.

Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another. Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary And this is just one of hundreds of pithy quotations taken directly from Ambrose Bierce's wildly popular and hilarious dictionary, aptly named The Devil's Dictionary. In the preface, Bierce explains how The Devil's Dictionary came to be: it is a collection of satirical word definitions that were first published in a newspaper over the course of several years. Bierce wrote the definitions as criticisms of political and social hypocrisy. The droll definitions and sharp wit of Bierce became incredibly popular. Soon, other publications were printing the definitions. Bierce was anthologized in many compilations of "cynic" writers, works that gained a reputation for being "silly." To refute the bad reputation his intelligent and exacting definitions were receiving by being associated with such idiocy, Bierce compiled his work and published it as The Devil's Dictionary. To his supporters he writes, "In merely resuming his own the author hopes to be held guiltless by those to whom the work is addressed -- enlightened souls who prefer dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, wit to humor and clean English to slang." Bierce chose the title The Devil's Dictionary over the title The Cynic's Word Book. The dictionary has become a classic, and its candid observations have remained relevant a century later. Bierce's canon of work includes poetry, many short stories, and several novels and essays. The Devil's Dictionary is a unique work that perfectly illustrates his amazing capacity for impeccable word choice, his skepticism, and his dry humor and wit. Title: The Devil's Dictionary Author: Ambrose Bierce ISBN: 9781775420248 Version: Unabridged Language: English Reader: Various Format: MP3 Audio CD Tracks / Chapters: 17 Chapters Total running time: 08:25:48