Is a debate about irony in a thread about a song about irony ironic? Cause I wouldn’t want to get it wrong, you know.
Thank you for supporting my point. You don’t get to pick the defnition that suits you. If there is a definition of ironic that makes sense in context, you don’t get to pick the definition that doesn’t make sense and then say the song is wrong.
It would be foolish to insist that is what is meant but it would be just as foolish to insist that is not what is meant when it is a valid definition in context.
I prefer steely, or in a pinch plasticy, spoons to irony spoons. The irony ones leave rust spots in the dishwasher.
Maybe the whole joke is that the answer to the question “Isn’t it ironic?” is “No.”
Puh-leez. You’re the one who’s scrambling to find some definition — any old way of defining “ironic” – that would justify the song. To do so, you’re forced to rely on a particular definition of “congruous.” In other words, you’re the one who’s picking a definition that suits you.
I’ve already cited a usage panel which overwhelmingly affirms that mere disappointment or unexpected results are not enough to constitute irony. Heck, this should be pretty much common sense.
Gary Baldy said:
There is. It is called “SDMB”, where you can tap into the accummulated knowledge of dozens* of people. Oh, you meant a software driven search engine, not a human brain search engine.
*What, there are how many posters here?
This thread makes my brain hurt.
Hopefully, you’re an aspirin salesman, or a neurosurgeon, 'cause then it might be, …y’know.
Just ignore them when they’re getting overly pedantic - it’s what I do.
Ha! Thanks for the laugh! 
I wasn’t clear in my point apparently. The various definitions are valid in some context. The person who wrote the item is the only one who knows which definition they were thinking of. No third party, neither you nor I, can say definitively what was meant when there are multiple meanings that make sense in context. The quote you copied in your message does support the idea that the use of ironic in the song is not the most common. But, the definition at the top of the page you cited includes a definition of ironic that doesn’t require interpretation of “congruous”.
I’m not so much defending the correctness of the lyric as I am criticizing the pedantic selection of one definition to state with conviction that there is no irony in the song.
maggots … rice-irony [sub]a San Francisco Treat[/sub]
Yeah, but Alanis’ is the iconic version.
And squirrel.
"Irony, in addition to all that, to a Texan, is an aging golfer whose fans are called an “army.”
i.e. Arnie Palmer
I am quite tickled that there is a web site called isitironic.com AND even more tickled to find they have a separate section just for that song.
My favorite part of that song is the irony.
Much like my favorite part of a ham and cheese sandwich is the chocolatey filling.
Bah, I think the definition of “irony” should be extended, at least a little. The idea that it’s just a synonym for sarcasm (asserted in a previous thread on this issue on this very board) annoys me. A lot. I don’t know why. It just does.
There are usually two parts which help to define the irony…most of this song only includes the first part…however:
If you find yourself always looking for a spoon and only finding a knife, it would then be ironic when looking for a knife to find 10,000 spoons.
If you always take others advice, and it steers you astray, it would be ironic that the one time someone gives you GOOD advice, you dont take it.
If in O’Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, it wouldnt be considered ironic that the woman cutoff her hair to buy a watch chain if you didnt know the other half of the story.
Essentially, the whole song could be ironic if you knew the missing part…which would make for a long and tedious diddy.
In the end, its a catchy song people are still talking about and debating…much like Don Mclean’s American Pie. Somewhere, Alanis is having the last laugh.