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Farcical

(pronounced fahr-sih-kul)  adjective

Definition

1. of, relating to, or resembling a farce.    2. absurd; ludicrous; nonsensical; laughably inappropriate, incompetent, or clumsy.

Main Example

• In the days leading up to January 20, TV hosts were busy discussing past presidents' inauguration addresses. NBC's Tim Russert couldn't stop laughing as he profiled the following excerpt from Warren Harding's inaugural in 1921: "We have mistaken unpreparedness to embrace it to be a challenge of the reality, and due concern for making all citizens fit for participation will give added strength of citizenship and magnify our achievement."
  The famous H.L. Mencken very accurately described Harding's farcical speech as "nonsense."

Workplace Examples

• The approach that Mel, our vice president, takes to delegating is farcical. Because of his habit of second-guessing the actions taken by his managers, we now have a situation in which the latter are less and less likely to use their decision making powers without first consulting Mel.



• Isn't it farcical of lawmakers in Washington to lament America's spiraling trade deficit? After all, they are the ones who enact tax laws that encourage ever larger, gas guzzling SUVs to be placed on our roads and drive up America's oil import bill!

Other Examples

• referring to some schools suppressing any mention of the word "Christmas" so as not to "offend" people of other faiths, this Indian-born author saying in a recent speech: "This is one more example of political correctness being carried to a farcical extent."
• the farcical "democratic presidential election" that took place in Iraq in 2002: There were no candidates other than Saddam Hussein; all ballots were shown to election officials before being cast; ballots were counted by regime officials; the election showed 100% votes for Saddam, and a 100% turnout.
• many Americans believing, to this day, that the verdict acquitting O.J. Simpson of that double-murder charge was farcical
• Here is an example of the farcical news announcements that emanate from North Korea which is always trying to talk up its leader Kim Jong Il: Soon after a deadly accident last year when a railcar carrying dynamite exploded, killing over a thousand people, the official bulletins said: "Before fleeing their homes, everyone in the nearby town painstakingly packed their hanging portraits of our leader Kim Jong Il and took them along."

© 2005 V.J. Singal

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