esprit d'escalier

What the French call “esprit d’escalier,” or staircase wit, to refer to those moments when the perfect rejoinder is thought of only after it’s too late, is not an experience that commonly afflicts his hyper-articulate crew.

This is especially irritating with regard to Kaur's Bela, who comes off as her creator's wish fulfillment double, the star of endless esprit d'escalier daydreams made real, as opposed to a unique creation.

Later, with a liberal dose of if not l’esprit d’escalier then l’esprit d’96th Street 1 train, I regret not asking if climate change and its dangers, met by Trump with aggressive disdain, might not qualify for such a list.

And Barack Obama, diffident at the debate, was using it Thursday for esprit d’escalier zingers: Romney was “finally getting tough on Big Bird … he’ll get rid of regulations on Wall Street but he’s going to crack down on Sesame Street.”

Diderot identified this syndrome as “esprit d’escalier,” or “stairway wit,” referring to that moment after a social encounter when we think of exactly what we should have said as we descend the stairs to the street.