Ambrose Bierce Quotes - Page 28

• Magpie, n.: A bird whose theivish disposition suggested to someone that it might be taught to talk.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Bird, Might, Taught

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• ZANY, n. A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the _buffone_, or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play. The zany was progenitor to the specialist in humor, as we to-day have the unhappiness to know him. In the zany we see an example of creation; in the humorist, of transmission. Another excellent specimen of the modern zany is the curate, who apes the rector, who apes the bishop, who apes the archbishop, who apes the devil.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Italian, Play

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.240, 谷月社

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• MUSTANG, n. An indocile horse of the western plains. In English society, the American wife of an English nobleman.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Horse, Wife, Society

  Ambrose Bierce (2011). “Ambrose Bierce: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs: The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs”, p.730, Library of America

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• predilection, n. The preparatory stage of disillusion.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Disappointment, Stage, Disillusion

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.96, Courier Corporation

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• critic, n. A person who boasts himself hard to please because nobody tries to please him.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Trying, Critics, Please

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.45, University of Georgia Press

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• NON-COMBATANT, n. A dead Quaker.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Quaker

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.85, Courier Corporation

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• PICKANINNY, n. The young of the "Procyanthropos", or "Americanus dominans". It is small, black and charged with political fatalities.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Political, Black, Politics

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.182, University of Georgia Press

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• YANKEE, n. In Europe, an American. In the Northern States of our Union, a New Englander. In the Southern States the word is unknown.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Yankees, Europe, Southern

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.137, Courier Corporation

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• SACRED, adj. Dedicated to some religious purpose; having a divine character; inspiring solemn thoughts or emotions; as... the Cow in India; the Crocodile, the Cat and the Onion of ancient Egypt.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Religious, Character, Cat

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2506, Delphi Classics

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• me, pro. The objectionable case of I. The personal pronoun in English has three cases, the dominative, the objectionable and the oppressive. Each is all three.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Ego, Three, Pronouns

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.141, 谷月社

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• PROPERTY, n. Any material thing, having no particular value, that may be held by A against the cupidity of B. Whatever gratifies the passion for possession in one and disappoints it in all others. The object of man's brief rapacity and long indifference.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Sarcastic, Passion, Men

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.189, University of Georgia Press

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• HATRED, n. A sentiment appropriate to the occasion of another's superiority.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Hatred, Sentiments, Occasions

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.106, University of Georgia Press

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• SORCERY, n. The ancient prototype and forerunner of political influence. It was, however, deemed less respectable and sometimes was punished by torture and death.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Death, Punishment, Political

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.209, 谷月社

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• GNU, n. An animal of South Africa, which in its domesticated state resembles a horse, a buffalo and a stag. In its wild condition it is something like a thunderbolt, an earthquake and a cyclone.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Horse, Animal, Earthquakes

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.97, University of Georgia Press

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• picture, n. A representation in two dimensions of something wearisome in three.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Art, Two, Three

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.163, 谷月社

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• Youth is Gilead, in which is balm for every wound.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Youth, Wounds

  Ambrose Bierce (2015). “Can Such Things Be?”, p.30, Sheba Blake Publishing

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• GOOSE, n. A bird that supplies quills for writing. These [quills] when inked and drawn mechanically across paper by a person called an "author," there results a very fair and accurate transcript of the fowl's thought and feeling.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Writing, Bird, Feelings

  Ambrose Bierce, Brian St. Pierre (1987). “The Devil's advocate: an Ambrose Bierce reader”, Chronicle Books (CA)

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• Hash, x. There is no definition for this word - nobody knows what hash is. Famous, adj. Conspicuously miserable. Dictionary, n. A malevolent literary device for cramping the growth of a language and making it hard and inelastic. This dictionary, however, is a most useful work.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Growth, Definitions, Language

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• MEDICINE, n. A stone flung down the Bowery to kill a dog in Broadway.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Dog, Science, Medicine

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.141, 谷月社

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• hybrid, n. A pooled issue.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Issues, Collaboration, Hybrid

  Ambrose Bierce (2009). “The Devil's Dictionary: Easyread Large Bold Edition”, p.125, ReadHowYouWant.com

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• RIDICULE, n. Words designed to show that the person of whom they are uttered is devoid of the dignity of character distinguishing him who utters them.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Character, Dignity, Ridicule

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.201, University of Georgia Press

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• Salamander: Originally a reptile inhabiting fire; later, an anthropomorphous immortal, but still a pyrophile. Salamanders are now believed to be extinct, the last one of which we have an account having been seen in Carcassonne by the Abbe Belloc, who exorcised it with a bucket of holy water.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Fire, Water, Buckets

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.196, 谷月社

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• OBLIVION, n. The state or condition in which the wicked cease from struggling and the dreary are at rest. Fame's eternal dumping ground.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Struggle, Wicked, Oblivion

  Ambrose Bierce (2016). “The Devil's Dictionary: The Devil World”, p.151, 谷月社

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• MUGWUMP, n. In politics one afflicted with self-respect and addicted to the vice of independence. A term of contempt.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Self, Independence, Vices

  Ambrose Bierce (2012). “The Devil's Dictionary”, p.84, Courier Corporation

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• resolute, adj. Obstinate in a course that we approve.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Determination, Obstinate, Courses

  Ambrose Bierce (2013). “Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)”, p.2498, Delphi Classics

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