L'esprit de l'escalier

For the story by Catherynne M. Valente, see L'Esprit de L'Escalier.

L'esprit de l'escalier or l'esprit d'escalier (UK: /lɛˌspriː d(ə l)ɛˈskæljeɪ/, US: /lɛˌspriː d(ə ˌl)ɛskəˈljeɪ/,[1] French: [lɛspʁi d(ə l)ɛskalje]; lit. 'staircase wit') is a French term used in English for the predicament of thinking of the perfect reply too late.

  1. ^ "esprit de l'escalier"[dead link] (US) and "esprit de l'escalier". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-22.