oops

Go to What I SHOULD Have Said... main page

Here is one story retold, albeit with a pithier ending:


From Templar:

JOBLESS & DEPENDENT

What happened: I have been unemployed for some time due to the job-market and my wife is currently the sole breadwinner. One day I was visiting my in-laws with my wife, and while at their home, I proudly announced to my sister-in-law who is employed as a clerk that my wife had just officially received a promotion at work and that a treat was in-store for everyone the following week. My sister-in-law, known for her condescension and sharp tongue, replied," What about you? Dont you have shame relying on your wife for sustenance?"

What I said: I did not know what to say, even my wife was stumped. It was the truth and it hurt.

What I SHOULD have said: I still dont know and it still hurts.

on the stairs

L'esprit d'escalier

The French call it l'esprit d'escalier, "the wit of the staircase," those biting ripostes that are thought of just seconds too late, on the way out of the room-or even, to tell the truth, days later. It's happened to you: you've suddenly thought of just what would put your foe in his or her place, but past the time when the arrow could sting its victim. You've stewed in your own juice ever since, and the chance for singeing repartee is gone forever.

Or is it?

Dorothy Parker or Oscar Wilde may have had the rapier wit to tweak their tormentors on the spot, but for the rest of us, we offer the Internet's only L'esprit d'escalier web site!



stairs