Go to What I SHOULD Have Said... main page
Here is one story retold,
albeit with a pithier ending:
From Steve:
Cherries On Top
What happened: In high school I was a cashier at a certain large chain of retail stores. One night my attractive, single, biology teacher came through my line. Among the items she purchased was a white thong with a cherry design on the crotch.
What I said: That'll be $xx.xx please, credit?
What I SHOULD have said: So THAT'S what you meant by extra credit.
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!