The Devil's Dictionary [B0426]

2015 PB. The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary written by American Civil War soldier, journalist, and writer Ambrose Bierce consisting of common words followed by humorous and satirical definitions. The lexicon was written over three decades as a series of installments for magazines and newspapers. Bierce's witty definitions were imitated and plagiarized for years before he gathered them into books, first as The Cynic's Word Book in 1906 and then in a more complete version as The Devil's Dictionary in 1911.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Some really witty and clever alternative definitions for words I'm familiar with and a whole bunch for words that may have been common in the 1800's. Fun stuff."; "Fun read, still relevant and biting more than 100 years after being published. The title refers to the author playing the devil's advocate in defining words. A few of my favorites: ADMIRATION, n. Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves. CONSERVATIVE, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others. LONGEVITY, n. Uncommon extension of the fear of death. Highly Recommended, a classic.