Definitions

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  • phrase rare, idiomatic Thinking of an idea or course of action too late to use it effectively, or the tendency to do so.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

A calque of French l'esprit de l'escalier.

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  • L'espirit de l'escalier - coined by Denis Diderot (1713-1784) - meaning the clever retort one thinks of when heading down the stairs after an argument in the drawing room. "I should have said..."

    September 20, 2009

  • Also see esprit d'escalier and l'esprit de l'escalier.

    September 23, 2009