Irony - Aha!

Posted by Lotg on July 13, 2003

In Reply to: Irony posted by Bob on July 11, 2003

: : : : : I'm setting up an all Australian gourmet business, and one of my suppliers refers to some of her products as 'Fine Comestibles'. I have never heard the word 'comestibles' before. Have any of you, and what precisely does it mean?

: : : : Yes. Things to eat.

: : : My bet is that your supplier doesn't just sell them either. Pound to a penny she 'purveys' them.

: : : My brother is over in the UK from New Zealand at present. He's off to York today to be a tourist. I warned him to expect shedloads of 'ye olde' culture. 'Peddlers Inne, purveyor of fyne wynes to the gentry since 1492' - that kind of thing.

: : "fine comestibles" is usually used with a degree of humour or irony. I recall a comedy in which somebody referred to "cheesy comestibles" as an alternative way of saying "a piece of cheese".

: It was Monty Python, in "The Cheese Shop," one of their best. It's the *only* place I've ever heard the word spoken.

May be that my supplier has a sense of humour. Somewhat lost on my ignorance at the time unfortunately. Thanks for clearing that up.