lrony is acknawledged ta be usually critical: the ironic speaker tends ta exhibit an apparent pasitive attitude in arder ta cammunicate a negative valuatian. The reverse is cansidered ta be alsa passible thaugh: the ironic speaker can praise by apparent blaming, althaugh it seldam happens. This unbalance between the twa sarts af ironic examples is the sa-called asymmetry issue af irany. Here 1 shall deny the passibility af being ironic withaut criticizing @hence the asymmetry issue is an illusian. By claiming that irony is always critical 1 suggest an even stranger claim: criticism is what distinguishes irony fram the similar phenamenan af metaphar.