Back in 1906 Ambrose Bierce produced The Devil’s Dictionary, a collection of satirical definitions. It had begun as entries published in the newspaper every so often, starting in 1881. Here are some examples:
Abstainer, n. A weak person who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. A total abstainer is one who abstains from everything but abstention, and especially from inactivity in the affairs of others.
Absurdity, n. A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one’s own opinion
Bore, n. A person who talks when you wish him to listen.
Christian, n. One who believes that the New Testament is a divinely inspired book admirably suited to the spiritual needs of his neighbor. One who follows the teachings of Christ so long as they are not inconsistent with a life of sin.
Conservative, n. A statesman enamored of existing evils, as opposed to a Liberal, who wants to replace them with others.
Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
Un-American, adj. Wicked, intolerable, heathenish.
As you can see despite being well over a century old many of them have resonance today.
I’m accepting suggestions for entries in a modern devil’s dictionary. I think that very nearly all opinions, views, ideologies, and behaviors are fair game for such lampooning.
