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The life of the ironic: so unpredictable yet not unexpected; I have a love-hate relationship with the word "irony."

I love when it happens, except that it happens to me so often; I'm the type of person who could climb a ladder quickly, run across a tight rope safely, and fall off the bottom rung on the opposite side. I like to think of myself as an accident-prone Jackie Chan: I could do insane stunts well, only to stub my toe when walking away.

Anyway, one thing that gets is the constant misuse of the word. Yes, I know it can be tricky to define and/or use properly, but it kind of irks me when I hear/read blatant misuses, so now I present to you...

A Quick Guide To Irony (Although It Might Get Kind Of Lengthy)

Irony (definition): "The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning."

In average person's term, it means that what is expected to happen and what really happens are total opposites. Suppose someone says, "This is the last place that I would expect to run into you; it's ironic." Perhaps that's coincidental or something else, but that is not necessarily ironic.

Examples of irony:
While watching a comedian's routine, he sits in a chair, but he's still doing "stand-up" comedy.
If an ambulance runs over someone, that's sad but still ironic.
A teacher learns something from the student.
You use a computer, so you can read a book.
You have to go online, so you can learn how to use the computer.
"Drive on the parkway; park on the driveway." Irony, right there.
Flammable and inflammable mean the same thing.
Palindrome is not defined by its definition: a palindrome is a word that is the same forward and backward.

Okay, so those are just a few examples of irony; I don't know why, but it just annoys me that I hear so many people misuse the word. In so doing, they actually help define the word. Go figure...