A phrase I've been waiting for my whole life
-----Original Message-----
From: Wordsmith [mailto:wsmith@wordsmith.org]
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 2:06 PM
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--esprit d'escalier
esprit d'escalier (e-SPREE des-kal-i-YE) noun, also esprit de l'escalier
Thinking of a witty remark too late; hindsight wit or afterwit.
Also such a remark.
[From French esprit de l'escalier, from esprit (wit) + escalier (stairs).]
We're all witty. It's just that many of us think of our clever remarks a bit
too late. The French call it the staircase wit, indicating that one thought
of that perfect retort on his or her way out.
"I can think of hard, tough, one-line put-downs, but only after the person
concerned has left the room. (NB: this affliction, esprit de l'escalier,
is one of the principal reasons why people become writers.)"
Simon Barnes; Glitzy Game Gets Line Not Length All Wrong; The Times
(London, UK); Jun 13, 2003.
"'You don't have a television?' The question is invariably accompanied by
a baffled expression. ... Even as I'm writing this, my esprit d'escalier
kicks in, and I start composing witty comebacks for future use: 'Oh, but
those things run on electricity, don't they? We don't use electricity.'"
Eya Donald Greenland; There's Luxury in Life Without TV; Toronto Star
(Canada); Mar 17, 2003.
This week's theme: words about wordplay.
Sponsored by:
Monthly French, German, Italian and Spanish cultural audio magazines for
intermediate-to-advanced learners. http://web.champs-elysees.com/wsmith1
Namix, providing smart naming solutions for products, services, and
businesses:
http://namix.com
............................................................................
One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. -English Proverb
Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: AWAD mailing list addresses are never sold, rented, leased, traded,
swapped, exchanged, or bartered to anyone. We don't like to receive
junk mail, and know you don't either.
Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/esprit_d_escalier.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/esprit_d_escalier.ram
Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/esprit_d_escalier.html
From: Wordsmith [mailto:wsmith@wordsmith.org]
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 2:06 PM
To: linguaphile@wordsmith.org
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--esprit d'escalier
esprit d'escalier (e-SPREE des-kal-i-YE) noun, also esprit de l'escalier
Thinking of a witty remark too late; hindsight wit or afterwit.
Also such a remark.
[From French esprit de l'escalier, from esprit (wit) + escalier (stairs).]
We're all witty. It's just that many of us think of our clever remarks a bit
too late. The French call it the staircase wit, indicating that one thought
of that perfect retort on his or her way out.
"I can think of hard, tough, one-line put-downs, but only after the person
concerned has left the room. (NB: this affliction, esprit de l'escalier,
is one of the principal reasons why people become writers.)"
Simon Barnes; Glitzy Game Gets Line Not Length All Wrong; The Times
(London, UK); Jun 13, 2003.
"'You don't have a television?' The question is invariably accompanied by
a baffled expression. ... Even as I'm writing this, my esprit d'escalier
kicks in, and I start composing witty comebacks for future use: 'Oh, but
those things run on electricity, don't they? We don't use electricity.'"
Eya Donald Greenland; There's Luxury in Life Without TV; Toronto Star
(Canada); Mar 17, 2003.
This week's theme: words about wordplay.
Sponsored by:
Monthly French, German, Italian and Spanish cultural audio magazines for
intermediate-to-advanced learners. http://web.champs-elysees.com/wsmith1
Namix, providing smart naming solutions for products, services, and
businesses:
http://namix.com
............................................................................
One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. -English Proverb
Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: AWAD mailing list addresses are never sold, rented, leased, traded,
swapped, exchanged, or bartered to anyone. We don't like to receive
junk mail, and know you don't either.
Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/esprit_d_escalier.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/esprit_d_escalier.ram
Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/esprit_d_escalier.html