Real life gave me a hand with my vocabulary lesson. My freshman English class and I were struggling with the subtleties of "irony" when one student asked, "What about making an arms deal with Iran for hostages, isn't that 'ironic?' " Before I could answer, another kid's hand shoots into the air. "No!" he yells, pointing emphatically to a word lower on the list. "Here it is! 'Despicable!' "
"Disconsolately" I had to agree.
VALERIE STEVENSON
San Diego
