Cryptic Definition

[cracker222]

I'm working my way through Brian Greer's book 'How To Do The Times Crossword' and all has been reasonably OK until I got to cryptic definitions. Can people help me get my head around how these clues work please. Two of the examples given are:

1 The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious (8) LEARNING

2 Mistaken at the top of one's voice (8) POSITIVE

[dannyk13]

1.Maybe this will help:-
here are two forms of ignorance. A naively ignorant person is innocent of knowledge but is open to learning. They do not mind discovering they are ignorant and find discovery and learning a pleasant and wondrous experience. An aggressively ignorant person does not like to feel ignorant and avoids learning

[Mamyalynne]

Both are both quotes from the author of this...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Dictionary


Otherwise am lost.

[Mamyalynne]

minus one both ^

[dannyk13]

2,Has me completely baffled.Any ideas Lynne?

[Mamyalynne]

Ambrose Bierce's ideas of satirical definitions don't do much for me.

[dannyk13]

If these are examples then I don't think they do much for me either.

[cracker222]

Hooray (I think!). I seem to be naively ignorant and I'm not the only one baffled. I'll keep working on cryptic definitions, but maybe not Ambrose Bierce's. Thanks.

[Mamyalynne]

I may grudgingly see a place for such quotes in a themed crossword but otherwise I prefer to be able to parse a clue.

[dannyk13]

Me too

[cracker222]

I can't see the point if one can't parse them