riposte

[underused]

riposte
a quick, clever reply to an insult or criticism
a quick return thrust in fencing

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I like this word. Its fencing connotation is evocative.

It also reminds me of the French expression l'esprit d'escalier (or the German treppenwitz). Both idioms translate to "staircase wit," describing those frustrating moments when you come up with the perfect riposte only after you've walked away.

Comments

[merikuru]

I can only take very few of them, too - allergic to Most Everything, capitals totally necessary. Thankfully, the one I'm on now is working, since apparently UTIs are getting quite resistant to it these days...either that or I just caught this early enough that resistance is futile. *hee*

[underused]

hahaha

[merikuru]

Ha! I need to steal that image. :D

[full_metal_ox]

Here's the audio component: http://instantrimshot.com/

[merikuru]

I love Instant Rimshot, thank you for reminding me of its existence. :D