esprit d'escalier
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is especially irritating with regard to Kaur's Bela, who comes off as her creator's wish fulfillment double, the star of endless esprit d'escalier daydreams made real, as opposed to a unique creation.
From Salon • Nov. 18, 2021
Two hours later, I was still staring at the ceiling, playing back movies in my head of what they'd done to me, what I should have done, all regrets and esprit d'escalier.
From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory
To discover now, after our downfall, that Germany ought never to have carried on a continental let alone a world policy, would be a pitiful example of esprit d'escalier.
From The New Society by Windham, Arthur
The French call this "esprit d'escalier" -- the spirit of the staircase, the snappy rebuttals that come to you after you leave the room and slink down the stairs.
From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory
The opposite of esprit d'escalier is the way that life's embarrassments come back to haunt us even after they're long past.
From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory
