fao: freefaller (and other frenchophiles)

SiriusB · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:41

seek said:
to be fair that really irritates me too!

*chuckles at the irony of this topic being about arguments*

Who is arguing? Zefan quite correctly pointed out I sign my name at the end of my posts.

SiriusB

Zefan · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:41

Kazatan said:
im sure uve seen plenty of people post about typos before

Yes, that's my point

*ZEFAN

Kazatan · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:44

Zefan said:
Yes, that's my point

*ZEFAN

If you've seen it all before i don't get why you posting about it here is any less pedantic than him posting about your typo in the first place...

or is THAT your point?

SiriusB · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:45

Leave him alone. He needs his drink! There's a point - what you drinking?

SiriusB

Kazatan · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:47

SiriusB said:
Leave him alone. He needs his drink! There's a point - what you drinking?

SiriusB

no this is not the point the point is what is the french word for coming up with great retorts for arguments that have already finished

and seriously. is there a word?

Zefan · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:47

SiriusB said:
Leave him alone. He needs his drink! There's a point - what you drinking?

SiriusB

Nothing, that's my point in needing a drink.

If I had drink, I wouldn't need one >_<

*ZEFAN

Van Hellseek · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:48

Kazatan said:
no this is not the point the point is what is the french word for coming up with great retorts for arguments that have already finished

bingo

SiriusB · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:49

Kazatan said:
no this is not the point the point is what is the french word for coming up with great retorts for arguments that have already finished

and seriously. is there a word?

"D'oh!"

Zefan said:
Nothing, that's my point in needing a drink.

If I had drink, I wouldn't need one >_<

*rushes pint over to Zefan*

SiriusB

Van Hellseek · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:51

Kazatan said:
and seriously. is there a word?

i don't think it is a single 'word' as such, more a term, like "deja vu" (possibly a touch longer). but yeah i'm sure there is one. we just need a frenchophile to turn up and set us straight. :cool:

SiriusB · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:56

seek said:
i don't think it is a single 'word' as such, more a term, like "deja vu" (possibly a touch longer). but yeah i'm sure there is one. we just need a frenchophile to turn up and set us straight.

Just translate "damn I wish I had retorted" into French. Jobs a gooden.

SiriusB

beh · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:58

L'esprit de l'escalier ?

Kazatan · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:58

DAMN YOU!

i just managed to google that yea its l'esprit de l'escalier

EDIT: incidently: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_phrases_used_by_English_speakers

Van Hellseek · 26 Jul 2006 at 22:59

good work lads. have a cookie on me.

i wonder... what is the translation of that? :confused:

Kazatan · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:00

seek said:
what is the translation of that?

thinking of the right comeback too late; lit. staircase wit; (originally a witticism of Diderot, the French encyclopedist, in his Paradoxe sur le Comédien)

staircase wit? :confused:

EDIT: One more click in the wiki and:
"'This combination of words was first used in order to describe a situation when a person offended by somebody at a party just grumbled instead of giving a proper, defending answer, getting, as a result, in even more silly position and thus being "forced" to leave the party; and here it comes the "stairs" word - while the annoyed was going down the stairs that "brilliant" answer just popped-up in his mind, nevertheless it was too late.'"

beh · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:00

Kazatan said:
DAMN YOU!

i just managed to google that yea its l'esprit de l'escalier

EDIT: incidently: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_phrases_used_by_English_speakers

lol, ye. Exactly where I skimmed it from

Van Hellseek · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:02

Kazatan said:
staircase wit?

it means you think of the retort on the stairs, while leaving the party at which you had the argument (no really!)

Freefaller · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:09

I'm a bit lost... I think I know what you mean, but I'm not 100% sure either!

sniffy · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:11

Sorry to bother ya Freefaller but have you got any idea what's going on about my sig?

Kazatan · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:21

Freefaller said:
I'm a bit lost... I think I know what you mean, but I'm not 100% sure either!

ok so this is how it goes:

L'espirit de l'escalier

You have an argument with somebody, and overall they win the argument. They are more witty or have the better come backs.

You then leave this argument and you suddenly think of something you should have said in the argument: a good retort etc

This came from the french for "Stair Wit". The phrase started when you left a party after the aforementioned argument and thought of the really good comeback whilst you were on the stairs leaving. hence stair wit.

SpicyDuck · 26 Jul 2006 at 23:23

I know what you mean. L'esprit de l'escalier literally means "The wit of the stairs".

Esprit (wit) is also translated to mean mind, or spirit, so it is quite clearly a metaphor.

You're in an argument and the other person wins with some quick wit, you go home and it could be many hours before you realise or think (ref: mind) of something to come back with. Giving us the image of our minds climbing up stairs.

In ideal circumstances, we would all like L'esprit de l'éclair: The wit of the lightning.

That's my take on it.