I hear the term 'irony' and 'ironic' tossed around and frequently it is used rather than a more fitting term such as "paradox" or "coincidence" or "serendipity" other such words hinting at strange, curious or mysterious events seemingly in synch with one another.

I have a sense of what irony is but can't quite get my brain around it. I've dabbled in it and seem to recognize it when it isn't. So I was trying to think of some concrete, tangible example as to what irony might truly be in daily life.

I recently purchased a t-shirt from my local Goodwill with Skippy peanut butter on it and the slogan "Spread the Fun" printed on it. Now I do not wear brand name clothing, at least not visibly. If I do the clothes come from Goodwill and they either have no labels visible or the labels come off. I refuse to pay "brand name" prices. So my choice of Skippy was intentional on many levels.

I'm not sure anyone that knows me would consider me "fun", at least not in a jubilant, boisterous or otherwise extroverted sense. Bob Newhart, even Steven Wright, would be more my idea of "fun". So it's kind of a double meaning, an inside joke, with the shirt, point of purchase, its brand name and its slogan.

So is irony the idea that this company develops this slogan, puts it on a t-shirt and someone (i.e. me) wears it for a totally different meaning?

Is it irony (or double irony) that even though I am wearing it with a different meaning in mind, the fact is that I am still wearing a brand name visibly and thus to the benefit of the company's initial idea?

Is this ironic?

Or is it something different, a purely literary device with an outside observer necessary for there to be irony?