the.com/sarcasm

Saying the opposite of what you mean, with a straight face and a loaded gun.

means Speech that means the cutting opposite of its literal words, delivered with a tone that makes the insult unmistakable.

from Traces back through Latin sarcasmus to Greek sarkazein, meaning to tear flesh like dogs — itself built from sarx, 'flesh.' The original image was literal and brutal: words that strip you to the bone, dressed up as a compliment.

literal root
Greek for stripping flesh off bone
brain workload
requires more cognitive processing than sincerity
relationship marker
studies link it to closeness, not hostility
tone dependency
fails hard in text without vocal cues
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