Question

The question below refers to the selection "Lamb to the Slaughter.” The dramatic irony of the officer’s comment that the murder weapon is “Probably right under our very noses” stems from the fact that

Mary's husband isn't really dead.
the officers have no sense of smell.
it literally is right under the officers' noses.
Mary never had a husband in the first place - she made him up.

Answer 1

The dramatic irony in "Lamb to the Slaughter" stems from the fact that the officers are searching for the murder weapon without realizing it is the leg of lamb they are eating, which is indeed 'right under their noses.'

Step-by-step explanation:

The dramatic irony of the officer’s comment in "Lamb to the Slaughter" that the murder weapon is “Probably right under our very noses” comes from the audience's knowledge that it literally is right under the officers' noses. In the story, Mary Maloney, the protagonist, kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then cooks it. The detectives investigating the murder are unaware that the leg of lamb, which they actually eat as part of their meal provided by Mary, is the murder weapon they are looking for. This creates irony because the officers are looking for something that is, unknown to them, in plain sight.

Answer 2

This stems from the fact that Mary's husband most likely isn't dead.