Charming?? I have been listening to a BBC learning program, 6 Minutes English, every week. This week, Sophie and Neil are talking about original fairy tales. In their talk, I could not understand why

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Toru Higaki

Charming?? I have been listening to a BBC learning program, 6 Minutes English, every week. This week, Sophie and Neil are talking about original fairy tales. In their talk, I could not understand why she said "Charming" against a frightening topic. Please read the following script and tell me what "charming" means in this case. Neil: In The Frog Prince the princess doesn't kiss the frog, she throws it… she throws it against the wall! Hmm, yes. Sophie: Hmm. I prefer the kiss version. Neil: And in Little Red Riding Hood don't believe that version where the wolf shuts granny in a cupboard. In the real version he gobbles her up and then eats Red Riding Hood for dessert. Sophie: Charming. And to gobble something up means to eat it very fast. OK, that's enough. <end> I am guessing it might be some kind of irony but I am not sure. I will be very happy if someone give me some explanation on it. Thanks.

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You're absolutely right – the speaker is using irony (possibly sarcasm), a rhetorical device where you say the opposite of what you mean. Such verbal irony is probably used in most languages, however I believe that the British are particularly fond of it. It can be difficult to identify in writing, particularly in a foreign language.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony

This is extremely common in the UK. Saying the opposite of what you mean, especially as a way of bringing humour or levity to a situation. This is an excellent example of such a usage of 'charming', which typically people say after someone behaves in an uncouth or rude manner. The wolf is clearly not behaving in a charming way!

Hi Veronique. Thank you for your comment. It seems that it might take a some time for me to digest your suggestion, so I will think over it. I really appreciate your help. Toru

I gathered some information from the internet, and tried to search all the meanings of the word "charming". Maybe my oppinion could be an reference to you. In the context, we got to know that the real version is darker and more complicate than the general one. So I guess "charming" here means wizard closely.

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