ardent
Explanation
This comic shows a man standing at a podium, apparently delivering a eulogy at a funeral. He says: "As we mourn my brother, I would like to also talk about our differences. For instance, he hated how much I love obfuscate vocabulary. Or, as you might say, he ardently abhorred to address my ardor for arcane calendar areas."
The caption below reads: "It was the greatest Talk Like a Pirate Day of my life."
The joke works on several levels. First, the speaker is using the eulogy -- a solemn occasion meant to honor the deceased -- to indulge in exactly the behavior his dead brother hated: using unnecessarily fancy and obscure vocabulary. This is itself a darkly funny act of disrespect masquerading as tribute.
Second, the phrase "ardently abhorred to address my ardor for arcane calendar areas" is a masterpiece of overwrought alliteration and thesaurus abuse. The speaker is essentially saying "he really hated how much I love obscure words," but saying it in the most obscure way possible.
Third, the caption about "Talk Like a Pirate Day" (September 19) adds another absurd layer. "Talk Like a Pirate Day" is a real novelty holiday where people speak in pirate-style English ("Arrr!"). The connection is that the speaker's overwrought, archaic vocabulary could be confused with pirate-speak, or more likely, the joke is that this man has found a way to turn even a funeral into his personal version of a novelty language holiday. The word "Arrr" also appears embedded in several of his words (ardently, ardor, arcane, areas), suggesting a hidden pirate-speak layer woven into his pretentious vocabulary.