badinage

American  

[bad-n-ahzh, bad-n-ij] / ˌbæd nˈɑʒ, ˈbæd n ɪdʒ /

noun

1. light, playful banter or raillery.

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verb (used with object)

badinaged, badinaging

1. to banter with or tease (someone) playfully.

badinage British  

/ ˈbædɪˌnɑːʒ /

noun

1. playful or frivolous repartee or banter

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Etymology

Origin of badinage

First recorded in 1650–60; from French, equivalent to badin(er) “to joke, trifle” (verbal derivative of badin “joker, banterer,” from Old Provençal bad(ar) “to gape” or directly from Vulgar Latin batāre; bay ² ) + -in, from Latin -īnus -ine ¹ ) + -age -age

Example Sentences

Rather, it was the thrust-and-parry of the pair, their gently barbed, whipsmart badinage, that made Nichols and May so revolutionary, their routines about sexual politics and social mores riding a knife’s edge.

From Los Angeles Times

His badinage is hardly Wildean, but his put-downs, honed to the sharpness of stilettos, are many people’s idea of fun.

From Salon

Cue a medley of exquisite tomfoolery, featuring bawdy badinage, dubious love-poems, mistaken identity, visual gags, a chaotic play-within-a-play and lots of linguistic whimsy.

From New York Times

Usually that high gloss means Hare is up to some undermining; in plays like “Plenty,” “The Judas Kiss” and “Skylight,” good badinage almost always means bad faith.

From New York Times

But also present are Heyer’s wry humor and deftness in witty badinage.

From Washington Post