皮肉

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 皮肉 (ひにく) can mean sarcasm in speech or situational irony.
• Basic usage: Someone misses a sarcastic remark and answers seriously; a train delay on a rushed day is ironic.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Speaker's sarcastic intent and irony of circumstances
  • First 皮肉に気づく is utterance meaning; 皮肉だ evaluates events. The latter needs no sarcastic speaker.