Repartée

In what country but England could the epigrammatic repartées and spiritual anecdotes of a Jekyll have flourished?

She was quite famous for her conversational powers and talents for repartée.

Some very sharp and cutting repartées passed after dinner, amongst others that of Admiral Tchitschagoff to General Ouvaroff, related in a preceding page.

“No heart can resist her when she smiles and tries her repartée, even in this presence,” said Lady Lucie. “A power of repartée is a great thing, girl; it becomes a fine woman better than diamonds.[…]”

Although she and Father were opposites in so many ways, when it came to repartée and telling stories, they were like a brilliantly matched tennis team.

There are the repartées, the verbal pirouettes of the servant gagsters.

A popular house of assignation was kept in Coventry Street by “Mother” Kate Hamilton, in her youth a much-sought-after courtesan; half the male clientele came there just to hob-nob with the obese patronne and exchange blue-violet repartée with her and the company.

Thomas Pettigrew offered the idea that the repartées are endurance tests that provide training for a lifetime of insult, while John Dollard suggested that the function of this form is to operate as a release mechanism for the anxieties of Black children.

But with Zan Charisse now playing Louise, the chatter worked, as the actress kept making repartée with her clothes on.

Yet from the long view of life / a certain depth emerges of continued growth / yielding some recompense to repartée / and the oft dichotomous personalization / becomes as fulfilling as a trampoline / to the boring tranquillity of sameness.