Wit & Wordplay Vocabulary

quick, witty conversation or exchange

“Their repartee was legendary—each line sharper than the last.”

Origin: French `repartie` (retort), from `repartir` (to set off again)

a quick, clever reply to an attack or insult

“When criticized for his youth, Kennedy delivered a perfect riposte.”

Origin: French, from Italian `risposta` (response), originally a fencing term

a witty remark or witticism

“Oscar Wilde was famous for his bon mots.”

Origin: French `good word`

a phrase with two meanings, one usually risqué

“His double entendre made some laugh and others blush.”

Origin: French `double meaning`

a sentence with an unexpected ending that reframes the beginning

“I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather—not screaming, like his passengers.”

Origin: Greek `para-` (against) + `prosdokia` (expectation)

mistaken use of a word for a similar-sounding one

“For all intensive purposes... (should be: intents and purposes)”

Origin: From Mrs. Malaprop in Sheridan's The Rivals

swapping initial sounds of words for comic effect

“You have hissed all my mystery lectures (missed all my history lectures).”

Origin: From William Archibald Spooner, known for such slips

a play on words exploiting multiple meanings

“I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.”

Origin: Possibly from Italian `puntiglio` (fine point)

delivering humor with an expressionless face

“His deadpan delivery made the absurd seem plausible.”

Origin: Dead (impassive) + pan (face, slang)

saying the opposite of what you mean for effect

“Oh, wonderful—another meeting. (When you hate meetings.)”

Origin: Greek `eironeia` (feigned ignorance)