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Not really accurate.... One of the odder explanations that seems to contradict everything I've ever heard is that Irony is where two people know something a third party doesn't. So like, if you and your friend decide to give someone the wrong directions to the mall, that's irony.

The more common idea seems to be that it's when you get stuck in a situation, and the exact thing you need comes only after you're out. Like you're trying to build a birdhouse, but you don't have a hammer, you spend two weeks attempting to make it, finally throw it out in frustration, then someone lends you a hammer for no related reason.

By alot of definitions, the song "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette contains not one example of irony. The only reason the latter explaination is used is because of that song alot of times.

The most widely accepted (by the general group of people who are in change of English or whatever,) definition is the one about intending to do something but causing the opposite to happen. Like if some guy tried to save you from a rabid dog but got rabbies from it and tried to kill you. Especially if he taught you how to shoot a gun and you have to shoot him (this was an example out of a book I don't remember very well.)
About that one where other people know something someone else doesn't. That's supposed to be thatrical irony. Example: The play Oedipus, the scene where he curses the man who killed the previous king*. The audience knows that he's the one who did it and want to yell out and stop him but it's theater so you just have to sit and watch.

*For any people who don't know about this story Oedipus was prophesized to kill his own father and marry his mother so his parents tried to leave him on a mountain to die as an infant. Well, he survived and was adopted by local royalty on the other side of the mountain. When the oracle gave him the same prophecy that was given to his parents he fled the country because he didn't want to kill his father and do the nasty with ole mom.
oh no, I'm dragging this out. Ok speed version.
Blah blah blah, kills his dad because he thought he was just some rude old man, sphinx jumps off a cliff to it's death (but it had wings...) and marries the queen and has several children. After some oracle stuff and searching for the killer he finds out that he did it and that he has been incestuous. Queen kills herself and he stabs out his eyes, the end... of the first play.

the Atlantis Morrisette song "Ironic" is Ironic because it's useing the term "Ironic" to describe a series of situations, that infact are not ironic. Thus the song itself is ironic.

Agreed.

And like I was saying, the word Irony has more definitions than any one word should ever have. Therefore, somewhere along the ways, I can claim just about anything is ironic and it'll fit some definition. 3nodding

It would have been more fun if you had explained why what you said was ironic... I was actually looking forward to how you were gonna justify it...

Oh dear... Kat is scheming... gonk

ninja ..... And I kill the thread....