Extracts from the Cynic’s Wordbook – Part VIII – the letter D

See previously entered letters C, J, K, M &c. here.

1. Dad - noun A father whom his vulgar children do not respect.
2. Dandy - noun One who professes a singularity of opinion with regard to his own merits, accentuating his eccentricity with his clothes.
3. Day - noun A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.
4. Decide - verb To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.
5. Defame - noun To lie about another. To tell the truth about another.
6. Defraud - verb To impart instruction and experience to the confiding.
7. Demon - noun A man whose cruelties are related in the newspapers. See Fiend in Human Shape.
8. Deny - verb See Hurl back the Allegation.
9. Deserve - noun The quality of being entitled to what somebody else obtains.
10. Dice - noun Small polka-dotted cubes of ivory, constructed like a lawyer to lie on any side, but commonly on the wrong one.

Extracts from the Cynic's Wordbook – Part VIII – the letter D

See previously entered letters C, J, K, M &c. here.

1. Dad – noun A father whom his vulgar children do not respect.
2. Dandy – noun One who professes a singularity of opinion with regard to his own merits, accentuating his eccentricity with his clothes.
3. Day – noun A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent.
4. Decide – verb To succumb to the preponderance of one set of influences over another set.
5. Defame – noun To lie about another. To tell the truth about another.
6. Defraud – verb To impart instruction and experience to the confiding.
7. Demon – noun A man whose cruelties are related in the newspapers. See Fiend in Human Shape.
8. Deny – verb See Hurl back the Allegation.
9. Deserve – noun The quality of being entitled to what somebody else obtains.
10. Dice – noun Small polka-dotted cubes of ivory, constructed like a lawyer to lie on any side, but commonly on the wrong one.

Extracts from the Cynic’s Wordbook – Part VI – the letter R

Previous entries: P, M, K, C, J. Notice I have listed double the number of extracts under this letter. This is simply because these are some of the finest in the whole book by Bierce. A little bonus for you to chew and occasionally swallow and digest. Read on:

1. Recruit - noun A person distinguishable from a civilian by his uniform and a soldier from his gait.
2. Reform - noun A campaign transparency, which is laid aside as soon as it has served its purpose; a thing that mostly satisfies reformers as opposed to reformation.
3. Relations - noun, plural People that you call on, or that call on you, according to whether they are rich or poor.
4. Remarkable - adjective The manner in which that fool Jones gets on, when we, who are so much more talented, are left out in the cold.
5. Remote - adjective The day when merit will be in more demand than money.
6. Removable - adjective An official who hasn’t any influence at headquarters.
7. Rent - noun An outrage imposed by blood-sucking vampires on virtuous sons of toil.
8. Republic - noun A form of government in which equal justice is administered to all who can afford to pay for it.
9. Resident - noun Unable to leave.
10. Resign - verb A good thing to do when you are going to be kicked out.
11. Revelation - noun Learning late in life that you are a fool.
12. Revenge - noun Sending your girl’s love letter to a rival after he has married her.
13. Reverence - noun The spiritual attitude of a man to a god and a dog to man.
14. Revolver - noun An argument used by temporary maniacs.
15. Riddle - noun Who elects our rulers?
16. Right - noun A cipher which has no value unless the numeral Might is placed before it.
17. Riot - noun A farce, which in Europe becomes a drama; a popular entertainment given to the military by innocent bystanders.
18. Robber - noun Vulgar name for one who is successful in obtaining the property of others.
19. Rose - noun Same thing as a skunk.
20. Rude - noun Reminding an old lady of the good times you had forty years ago.

Extracts from the Cynic's Wordbook – Part VI – the letter R

Previous entries: P, M, K, C, J. Notice I have listed double the number of extracts under this letter. This is simply because these are some of the finest in the whole book by Bierce. A little bonus for you to chew and occasionally swallow and digest. Read on:

1. Recruit - noun A person distinguishable from a civilian by his uniform and a soldier from his gait.
2. Reform - noun A campaign transparency, which is laid aside as soon as it has served its purpose; a thing that mostly satisfies reformers as opposed to reformation.
3. Relations - noun, plural People that you call on, or that call on you, according to whether they are rich or poor.
4. Remarkable - adjective The manner in which that fool Jones gets on, when we, who are so much more talented, are left out in the cold.
5. Remote - adjective The day when merit will be in more demand than money.
6. Removable - adjective An official who hasn’t any influence at headquarters.
7. Rent - noun An outrage imposed by blood-sucking vampires on virtuous sons of toil.
8. Republic - noun A form of government in which equal justice is administered to all who can afford to pay for it.
9. Resident - noun Unable to leave.
10. Resign - verb A good thing to do when you are going to be kicked out.
11. Revelation - noun Learning late in life that you are a fool.
12. Revenge - noun Sending your girl’s love letter to a rival after he has married her.
13. Reverence - noun The spiritual attitude of a man to a god and a dog to man.
14. Revolver - noun An argument used by temporary maniacs.
15. Riddle - noun Who elects our rulers?
16. Right - noun A cipher which has no value unless the numeral Might is placed before it.
17. Riot - noun A farce, which in Europe becomes a drama; a popular entertainment given to the military by innocent bystanders.
18. Robber - noun Vulgar name for one who is successful in obtaining the property of others.
19. Rose - noun Same thing as a skunk.
20. Rude - noun Reminding an old lady of the good times you had forty years ago.