What does it mean?

Thanks, GG.  It may be hard to believe, but this is news to me.  I'd call these examples pure sarcasm, having nothing to do with irony.  I readily admit that irony exists (as a situation) in language, and is a handy tool for sarcasm.

I thank the comic strips (funny papers) for some of my early education.  My first exposure to the word:

     Wife complains to husband  -   "It's really hot here in the yard.  I wish we had some shade."  (reply) "That's ironic."

     "I don't see what's ironic about it."   (reply, pointing to stump)  "I cut it down last winter so we could get the sun."

Dear Avangi,

"instances of ironic speech"

Yes, you are absolutely right. I agree that sentences cannot be ironic, since irony is NOT a matter of language but has to do with conceptual integration (or blending), as it is termed in cognitive linguistics. In other words, irony is a matter of mindwork or conceptual problem solving.

Don't worry, in the literature of linguistics there is no consensus on whether sarcasm and irony are essentially the same thing or they differ significantly. Perhaps in some cases there is some overlap between the two. I would not say that an ironist is always sarcastic at the same time.

Thanks for the garden-example. It shows that if you are ironic, it does not mean that you mean the opposite of what you say, as most dictionary definitions of verbal irony assert.

Best,

P