The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm

by James Napoli

Why tolerate ignorance? James Napoli, the executive vice president of the National Sarcasm Society, has provided an A-Z guide to turn to whenever you need to set someone straight. From advertisements to e-mail, from materialism to remote controls, there's a witty answer for every situation. "You have been waiting patiently for a dictionary like this to come along. And now it is here," recognizes Napoli. "Not that you give a crap."

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Comedy, Reference, Language, Dictionaries

367 pages, Hardcover

First published September 7, 2010

About the author

James Napoli is the author of the humor best-seller The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm and its new sequel, The Official Dictionary of Idiocy. He has written several other humor books, including The North Pole Employee Handbook and The Big Bad-Ass Book of the Zodiac. He is a contributor to The Huffington Post and is the creator of the Internet self-help parody persona Mr. Paul Maul.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

My sister's stocking filler, which of course I borrowed as soon as possible, to do my duty to the world in telling you all whether it's worth buying or not. I'm sure you've been waiting on tenterhooks for my opinion...

Well, it's okay. It's a little funny, but if you're any good at sarcasm you could probably come up with better sarcastic definitions of various words that suit your taste. It's a fun idea for a stocking filler or something like that, but I don't have any overwhelming urge to run out and buy it for all the sarcasm lovers in my life.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

So where to start with this title. This was bought for me as a present and I am still trying to figure out if it was acknowledging my sarcasm or having a dig at it - either way it was a very funny read - but it is hard going in places - you are after all reading a dictionary with witty comments - some of them are very subtle and observant while others though crass yet still are capable of making me smile because - they are so true - the only down side to this is that you can see painfully who wrote it and what country (even their state) they came from by going beyond sarcasm and being rather snide in their comments - hey i know we British have our faults but really is there any one country in this world that can claim superiority over sarcasm - i don't think so. But all in all its a fun book and even though its one of those "quirky" titles you see pop up at Christmas - this one you can go back to and dip in to time and time again

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you've ever seen someone run a joke, that was not all that funny to begin with, to the ground, then you have read what The Official Dictionary of Sarcasm is like to read. It feels like a book made on a self-imposed challenge to find joke definitions for as many words as possible, all done with a sense of smugness, and considering the title, that may be the point, so I'm gonna give it that at least.

It's also extremely outdated, making me think this book would've been better off as what it feels like: An updatable Reddit list for the least self-aware crowds on the website, hiding their bigotry and fear of anything new behind a veneer of centrism and being ironic.

If you really need to get a deep insight into attitudes that make you repulsive to most people, then this book is far too much work to get a hold of, just go on one of many incel forums and pretend they're pretending to joke.

[Haystack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book at Spencer's of all places. And being a practitioner of sarcasm myself, I had to have it. If you love sarcasm yourself, you should get it. Don't be the only sarcastic person on your block without this book!

[Tammielyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, but I have to say ... my favorite part was the 'About The Author' page. Family updates stuck inside holiday cards would be a lot more entertaining if the author could influence the writing of all of them.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me laugh so hard, it was utterly amazing and filled my head with even more sarcasm. Simply great.

[Nick Arkesteyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to tune your mind to the sarcasm channel for those times you need it!

[Divya · Rating 4 out of 5]

When one eats potato chips, it is hard to eat just one. Similarly, in this book, you cannot stop at one word and shut it. It hits the bull's eye for most of the words we use every day.

[Pranav · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Hillarious. It finally fills the void for the latest Devil's Dictionary.
A good read.

[Andy Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sarcastic and this book brings it all home. For those of you easily offended, well, too bad. This book is humorous and takes an irreverent look at ourselves and our world. Great book!

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A amusing dictionary of common people and terms written in a totally sarcastic fashion. Ex: "Meeting: A business term meaning 'officially sanctioned waste of time.'" (Napoli 199). A fun light read when you're in need of a chuckle.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, sharp as a tack. Laughed out loud.

[P.M. Bradshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Worth a few chuckles, but not much more beyond that. Not hilarious, not even "very funny." A poor man's version of Ambrose Bierce's Devils' Dictionary, without the biting social commentary. A chuckle here and there, but it becomes tedious pretty quickly.

[Amy Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it! Funny

[Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was written by a man who stopped developing his sense of humor in approximately 2008 - or high school, whichever came first.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uh, no.

I picked this book up at the library, thinking I might be getting a budget version of Ambrose Bierce's well-nigh inimitable "The Devil's Dictionary."

And, I wasn't.

First, most of the sarcasm here isn't that cutting. (Sorry to one reviewer, but it's not incel-type stuff, either, as some type of hurtfulness. Per another reviewer, when it DOES venture into US politics, it's "centrism.")

Second, whether sarcastic or not, most of it's not that funny.

Third, a lot of it is STALE. And, not even because it's anchored in old jokes that, in some cases, might themselves be stale.

Exemplifying all three?

Defining "rabbi" in terms of the old "a rabbi, a priest and a minister walk into a bar" joke.

Finally, tying back to Bierce? Nothing here approaches the cynical bon mot. (And, I've read enough Oscar Wilde, and sorry, friends across the pond, I think Bierce is the master. His US Civil War experience and PTSD add an edge that Wilde just doesn't have. [Bierce also refutes Wilde's definition of what a cynic is.] Bio of Bierce [better one desired] here.)

So, I tagged it with both my "BS-pabluim" (misspelling of "pablum") and "meh" tags. I did NOT tag it as "humor."

[Roger Smitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny stuff--if you like sarcasm There's 385 pages of short statements that uphold the so-called "National Sarcasm Society." Here's three samples. Each was picked using a more/less random selection system--in keeping with the theme of sarcasm:

P\. 22: Ambition: Nature's way of preparing us for medication.

P. 148 Healthy: What someone eating a bacon double cheeseburger calls someone who is having a salad, somehow making it sound like the person with the salad is the one making the mistake.

p. 242: Photocopier: An office machine that malfunctions so often the the phrase "just walk away and leave it for the next person to deal with" should be included in its owner's manual.

P. Voting: The agonizing choice made at each election cycle between who was able to spend $54 million on campaign advertising and someone else who was only y able to afford $53.5 million.

While the book could be read in one sitting, it's better taken on in pieces.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this when I was a small-minded cynical teenager who thought she was intelligent and logical. I got rid of it because I knew it would be embarrassing when I grew out of being a sarcastic teenager. Now I’m a sarcastic adult, and I can write better, snarkier, more sarcastic definitions than those in this dictionary. Some definitions are funny, but most are the sort of cynical, punching-down, mean-spirited Internet humor that I don’t like anymore.

[Jessica Patzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes Douglas Adams-y, sometimes very opinionated, and sometimes quite cynical. Probably not meant to be read all the way through in basically two sittings, like I did, but… eh. I wasn’t super impressed or super amused by any of the entries. It was all pretty middling… and really obviously written by a dude.

[Dean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found this in the bargain bin. An initial flip through it made it appear it might be humorous and okay for light reading. With the added incentive of being cheap enough, I took a chance and bought it. Shouldn’t have. Very little was amusing and most of it was a chore to get through. Sad.

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

a gift from a friend. not overly funny , a few gems in there .

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really funny book, with ironic descriptions of words we use in everyday life. I frequently laughed out loud!

[Jerry Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for all of the responses you ever wanted to have to post for facebook..

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book to pick up a little here a little there...

[D.J. Desmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, great to keep around to look up some words and see how the author jokes about it

[Veronika Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious! Such a great idea for a book, although there are some dirty jokes...🤭.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun. Easy to skip around. And of course, lots and lots of sarcasm!

[Zoe McKey · Rating 4 out of 5]

good humor although i was expecting something else

[Sunny David]

its good

[Rachael Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious dictionary!!