esprit de l'escalier


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Related to esprit de l'escalier: L'esprit de l'escalier, Esprit d'escalier

esprit de l'escalier

A French phrase meaning wit of the staircase, used to mean a witty remark that only comes to mind too late, after you are on your way out of a place.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.esprit de l'escalier - a witty remark that occurs to you too late
humor, wit, witticism, wittiness, humour - a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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Bronze Award: Matthew Turner, United Kingdom, for 'Social is the solution to marketing's esprit de l'escalier moments'
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From abeyance to Zionist, via endogenous and epistemological, full of revenants and wraiths, this slim volume provides the necessary vocabulary to add some zest to a skillful avoidance of an occasion of esprit de l'escalier. It explicates the etymological histories of many zingy words, and the choice of included words is both highly competent and euphonic to boot.
How to sound really clever; 600 words you need to know

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