Advanced · Borrowed words · Talking & language
Esprit de l'escalier: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Esprit de l'escalier noun. Thinking of the perfect reply only after the chance to say it has passed.
How to say it
es-pree duh less-KAL-yay/ɛˌspriː də lɛˈskaljeɪ/
6 syllables, stressed on the fifth (KAL).
Esprit de l'escalier in a sentence
Esprit de l'escalier struck on the drive home: I finally knew what to tell the interviewer.
Social media is where everyone's esprit de l'escalier gets posted hours too late.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- staircase wit
- afterwit
- hindsight
Where esprit de l'escalier comes from
French for wit of the staircase, after Diderot's remark about thinking of a retort on the way downstairs.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Social media is where everyone's _____ gets posted hours too late.
- esprit de l'escalier
- je ne sais quoi
- schmaltz
Show the answer
esprit de l'escalier: Social media is where everyone's esprit de l'escalier gets posted hours too late.