Use of 'irony'

Lady Fox

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Hi, I struggle a little with the use of the word 'irony' and was hoping someone could tell me whether I've used it correctly in the following sentence. I've done a google search but still unsure.

Connie smiled like the cat that got the cream. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, “I see Deandra has been taking good care of you.”

Chris gave Dee an enquiring look, but she just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Connie was old enough to be his mother, but then, so was Dee. She silently laughed at the irony of it, and opened the door.


Many thanks
LF
 

cornflake

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Hi, I struggle a little with the use of the word 'irony' and was hoping someone could tell me whether I've used it correctly in the following sentence. I've done a google search but still unsure.

Connie smiled like the cat that got the cream. “Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, “I see Deandra has been taking good care of you.”

Chris gave Dee an enquiring look, but she just shook her head and rolled her eyes. Connie was old enough to be his mother, but then, so was Dee. She silently laughed at the irony of it, and opened the door.


Many thanks
LF

It may be me, but I don't get what's going on there from that excerpt, which may also be due to the antecedent issues.
 

Lady Fox

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Hi Cornflake.

Sorry - I see what you mean. Hope this helps...

Connie and Dee were having a conversation when Chris walked into the room, fresh from getting out of bed. Dee is in a physical relationship with Chris. Chris is a young man (mid-twenties). Dee is late forties and Connie is early fifties.
 

cornflake

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Ok, reread it and I get what's going on but I don't see what's ironic.
 

fenyo

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The thing is that many people do not know what is the proper use of ironic. and because of that it is used in different ways, but if you get the message a cross that is what important.

that is how language changes and transformed all the time.
 
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Diomedes

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What is going on here? This is clearly ironic: an expression is made in view of something being a reality when it clearly is not.

The point is quite complex, but irony it certainly is.
 

CarpeScriptum

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What you've avoided is confusing irony with coincidence, which is the usual error. But I have to say I don't see the irony here either.
 

ironmikezero

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An age ago, during job interviews, candidates were asked to define irony in a single sentence of ten words or less . . . Stunned silence was the typical momentary response. Most candidates rallied, offering a host of sputtering answers, all but one in multiple sentence fragments, exceeding the requested word count.

The best answer . . . "Manifest facts are revealed to be diametrically opposed to expectations."

Oh yes, she got the job.
 

veinglory

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Okay so what is ironic? The only connection I can see is between Dee looking after him, and Dee being old enough to be his mother, and that is not odd or reversed from expectations.
 

Lady Fox

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I'm a bit late coming back to the party, but thank you all for your comments. I've decided to remove the sentence referring to irony.
 

Chase

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So the fox listens to all us chickens? How ironic. :greenie