Eiron

In the theatre of ancient Greece, the eirôn () was one of three stock characters in comedy. The usually succeeded in bringing down his braggart opponent (the ) by understating his own abilities.
History.
The developed in Greek Old Comedy and can be found in many of Aristophanes' plays. For example, in "The Frogs", after the God Dionysus claims to have sunk 12 or 13 enemy ships with Cleisthenes (son of Sibyrtius), his slave Xanthias says 'Then I woke up.'
The philosopher Aristotle names the in his "Nicomachean Ethics", where he says: "in the form of understatement, self-deprecation, and its possessor the self-deprecator" (1108a12). In this passage, Aristotle establishes the "eirôn" as one of the main characters of comedy, along with the .
Irony.
The modern term irony is derived from the of the classical Greek theatre. Irony entails opposition (not mere difference) between the actual meaning and the apparent meaning of something.