Go to What I SHOULD Have Said... main page
Here is one story retold,
albeit with a pithier ending:
From Trip:
Spousal Abuse
What happened: I was with my wife and kids at the supermarket. As usual, my wife and kids were lagging behind. I was approached by a man asking if I would like to make a donation to the battered women's fund.
What I said: No. Because if I do, I would feel like a hypocrite when I go home and beat my wife.
What I SHOULD have said: If I give you a dollar, can I smack your wife around a little?
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!
