Against my ruins

Two extracts from the Lonely Planet's Sri Lanka: a travel survival kit (3rd ed. 1987; security updates c.1990):

If you like ruins you'll find your fill in the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

- 'Introduction' [first full page of text]

There are no places of interest unless you are interested in photographing ruins.

- STOP PRESS [last full page of text]

Duly noted

The root of the word irony is in the Greek eironeia, 'liar'.

- PJ O'Rourke, in The Daily Beast

(Ironical) Word of the Day

from Dictionary.com:

nosophobia, n. Medical students’ disease, meaning “fear of disease”.

La bete humaine v. homo loquax

The whole business exudes irony so rich you can taste it. It tastes like marzipan.

- Tom Wolfe on Zola, et al., the 2006 Jefferson Lecture

Hirsute ironies

On admiring my reflection the other morning, I noted:

1) 'Barber' and 'barbarian' have nothing in common (which, I concede, could be the complete opposite of ironic, depending which Roman you're playing);

2) The French word for beard - barbe - is feminine. (Ditto.)