Paralinguistic/connotation key:
- Mocking
- Sarcasm, e.g. "Homeopathy fans are a really well-educated bunch"
- Statement not to be taken literally, e.g. "There is a trillion reasons not to go there"
- Non-serious/joking statement, e.g. "I'm a meat popsicle"
- Personal opinion, e.g. "I think Alex Jones is an asshole"
- Personal taste, e.g. "I like Star Trek"
- If I remember correctly
- Hypothesis/hypothetical speech, e.g. "Assuming homo oeconomicus, advertisement doesn't work"
- Unsure, e.g. "The universe might be infinite"
- 2 or more synonyms (i.e. not alternatives), e.g. "aubergine or eggplant"
- 2 or more alternatives (i.e. not synonyms), e.g. "left or right"
- A proper name, e.g. "Rome"
One always hopes that these wouldn't be necessary, but in the interest of avoiding ambiguity and aiding non-native English speakers, here they are. And to be clear: These are not guesses or suggestions, but rather definite statements made by the author. For example, if you think a certain expression would not usually be taken as a joke, but the author marks it as a joke, the expression shall be understood as a joke, i.e. the paralinguistic/connotation key takes precedence over the literal text. Any disagreement about the correct/incorrect usage of the expression may be ascribed to a lack of education and/or lack of tact on the part of the author if it pleases you.