Came back after taking a look at the snark-stripper. And got to think about my own reactions to Anglosnark: I don’t like it too much. It’s as common as «baveux» humour in Quebec and paltoquet-like ridicule in France. But it does rub me the wrong way. So I guess I know how you felt.

Now, as others have said, you could have avoided these situations by using the most direct question. But what’s the fun in that? My “gripe with Grice” (bandname!) is that his maxims aren’t in fact applied universally in the same way. Among French-speakers, we like to twist verbal utterances to make them violate Gricean maxims. Not because we think these violations are improper, but because it’s part of the fun we have with language.

I understand why you associate snarky and wry humour with meanness, cruelty, and other breaches of social relationships based on Goffman-style facework. But the intentionality could lead you somewhere else. Don’t forget our love affair with with: the target is language itself.
In other words: “don’t take it personal.”

Have fun in Paris anyway. I’m jealous. We need to finally get together when you get back!

I am certain I am guilty of both types of sarcasm in my native language, perhaps of multiple offenses. Although sometimes it’s because I’m having one of my slow days and I’m too dumb to process the question in any way other than literally, and then after the fact I pretend like I was being a smartass.

But I can say that I enjoyed see the word cheesemonger.

And my burning question: did you get some of the cheese? (mmmm, cheese.)