L'esprit de l'escalier
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L’esprit de l’escalier (stairway wit) is the sense of thinking of a clever comeback when it is too late. The phrase can be used to describe a riposte to an insult, or any witty, clever remark that comes to mind too late to be useful—when one is on the “staircase” leaving the scene. The German word treppenwitz is used to express the same idea. The closest phrase in English to describe this situation is “being wise after the event”. The phenomenon is usually accompanied by a feeling of regret at having not thought of the riposte when it was most needed or suitable.
Originally a witticism of Denis Diderot, the French encyclopedist, in his Paradoxe sur le Comédien.
[edit] Treppenwitz
Sometimes Treppenwitz, the concept's German translation, is used to express the same idea. The nearest English expression would be "being wise after the event."
As in the French counterpart above, Treppenwitz literally means "the wit [or 'joke'] of the stairs." It is the striking reply that crosses one's mind belatedly when already leaving, on the stairs. People are often angry because they did not have the fitting answer directly during a conversation.
The German term is old, but it was made popular by W. Lewis Hertslet, who published his book in 1882 entitled Treppenwitz der Weltgeschichte. In that book, he writes: "Like to a petitioner who is just leaving after an audience, a piquant, striking word occurs to history almost always delayed." (German language Source)
[edit] In popular culture
The Seinfeld episode "The Comeback" humorously explores the concept of "staircase wit."
