The irony of it all

Generally speaking, I am more into games than I am into puzzles - but I do enjoy having my brain stretched and tortured by the odd cryptic conundrum. The more mind bending the better as I bore easily with Suddoku, Word Search or the more pedestrian coffee time puzzles so much beloved of my beloved.

Of course, this clearly singles me out, not just as a gaming snob, but as a puzzle snob too.

For Christmas, the pikelets bought me a "Lift-a-flap" Hangman desk calendar. Each day I am challenged to find another place, thing, fictional character, occupation etc before my little stick man is hung by his neck 'til he chokes.
(When did capital punishment become an acceptable source of merriment to the word finding populace?)

So, anyway, I laugh in the face of the vocabularic noose. Even if there is no such word.

But today I got stuck. Today the stones of Gormenghast came crashing down as the walls of shame crushed me beneath their unforgiving weight.
The category was "A THING" and I got this far:

_ _ A R _ _ A _ _

With C, I, P, S and T chosen I had one guess left, before the sneering face of the executioner could kick the virtual chair away from underneath me.
I chose "N".
I chose wrong.

And then I read the answer and it was so obvious and so ironic.
I can only assume that someone cast the Enfeeblement Mantra, on me, whilst I was playing Ghost Stories a few days ago.