esprit de l'escalier

American  

[es-pree duh le-skahl-yey] / ɛsˈpri də lɛˈskɑl yeɪ /

noun

French.

1. a perfect comeback or witty remark that one frustratingly comes up with only when the moment for doing so has passed.

   Writers, by nature, tend to be people in whom l' esprit de l'escalier is a recurrent experience.

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Etymology

Origin of esprit de l'escalier

First recorded in 1905–10; literally, “wit of the staircase” (i.e., after one has left the gathering)

Example Sentences

Your esprit de l’escalier doesn’t kick in until you’re well out the door.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 31, 2018

Staircases are apt to suggest reflections, and there are various ways of rendering the French phrase "esprit de l'escalier."

From Westways by Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir)

"Or helped him down stairs a little faster; he seems to have scented this esprit de l'escalier!"

From The Children of the World by Heyse, Paul