The Cynic's Dictionary: Disgruntled Definitions for Our Times

by Richard Bayan

Book Overview

A curmudgeon after Ambrose Bierce's heart, Rick Bayan has composed his own witty response to the car phone generation, with more than 900 entries from Abnormal to Zzzzzz. He defines a merger as "When... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785817131
• ISBN13: 9780785817130
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Castle Books
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Even a Cynic tires of being a Cynic.

A delightful little tome. It serves no useful purpose other than to a Cynic sharpen and/or expand his skills;or is cynicism a lack thereof? Yes, being a Cynic takes skill;although the amount needed can be minimal,but can be used with advantage with practice and committment to the art.And yes; it is an awrt;and you have only to true artists to see it being practiced with ease and prefection. If you doubt this;just ask some artist o comment on the work of another. As they say in Mathematics--Q.E.D.--Quod Erat Demonstradum--That which was to be proved. For anyone trying to improve their skills;this book will be invalual.It is fun to read the definitions Rick Bayan comes up with; but the true mark of greatness if one can produce them on the spur of the moment.That is when a reward of "touche" makes your dedication to the art worthwhile. Here are a few; "Klux Klux Klan-Scientific name for the Wkite-Hooded Redneck,a cocky but cowardlyfowl that must gather in large flocks to prey upon individuals of supposedly inferior breeds." "Women's Srudies-The academic discipline devoted to an emerging ethnic group noted for quaint folk traditions like needlepoint and witchcraft." "Virgin-A young innocent who in former times was sacrificed to the gods but who now merely lives in discrase." (Not bad,but now becoming outdated.) Oh yeah;my proof that Cynics tire of themselves. This book is arranged alphabetically.Since the middle is between M and N ,you would expect as many pages of each. Not so; The first half has 116 while the second half has only74. Now look at the last entry. "Zzzz-The sound produced by those who have attempted to read tis entire dictionary at one sitting." Oen reviewer suggested it wiuld make a gooh Bathroom Book. Is that what the author meant by "sitting"?

An equal-opportunity offender

Rick Bayan leaves nothing and no one unscathed--he exposes the dark underside of everyone and everything for all to see in this book. Everything that bothers you about EVERYTHING we all deal with in life is the victim of Bayan's unyielding criticism. I loved this book though--sometimes I laughed out loud in public because the author cuts to the chase so well. Some of my favorite definitions: Exhaustion--Sufficient cause for the hospitalization of a celebrity; the normal state of existence of the rest of the working world. Hometown: The community that nurtures us during our formative years, so that we might attend a good school, succeed handsomely and spend the rest of our lives somewhere else. You get the idea. Bayan tells it like it is--says on paper what the rest of us are thinking but don't dare say out loud. Great fun!

Bright light in a bleak world

Wonderful book. Bayer is honest and it's so refreshing. Among the wisdom of this book, is also a lot of humor. I haven't enjoyed a book like this in years, wit and skillful prose, humor and blatent honesty over things we would all like to say.Thank you Rick Bayer!

Finally, the Truth

I recently reread portions of this book and just had to comment on it again. This book never fails to make me laugh. I would liken Bayan's command of the English language to Edgar Allan Poe - he's that great. The pen is truly mightier than the sword. The way that he leads you down a path with a definition and then clobbers you with the last few words is sheer brilliance. Bayan proves that most writers today are merely hacks, and it is a sheer joy to read this book. If you love laughing hysterically, and if you love intelligent writing, this book is a perfect read. I can only hope that a sequel sees the light of day. EXCELLENT.

Ambrose, move over!

The Head Cynic has written a book into which he has expressed the frustrated views of the world's disgruntled idealists but in his own inimitable style. He has proven that just because you are a cynic it doesn't mean that you don't have a sense of (black) humour! For all those CD fans out there, join Rick at his website - http://www.amz.com/cynic END