Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ESPRIT

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connect today's word to others: Esprit literally means "spirit." Your esprit is your zeal, gusto, energy, or liveliness. (So you can see why the word esprit looks like the words spirit, spirited, spiritual, sprite, spritely and so on.) Could you recall three synonyms of esprit that we've checked out before? They're v_m, br__, and v_v_c_t_.  And, see if you can recall this related term that literally means "a play of spirit:" a j__ _'esprit is a witty comment or a witty piece of writing. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ESPRIT" (This word came to us through French from Latin, and it literally means "spirit" or "mind.") Esprit is wit, cleverness, or liveliness. Pronunciation: eh SPREE Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the esprit," "this esprit," "his esprit," "such esprit," "no esprit," and so on, but don’t say "an esprit," "one esprit," or "esprits.") Other forms: none We see the word "esprit" inside these 3 phrases, also: 1. Esprit de corps     It literally means "spirit of the body."     Pronounce it "eh SPREE duh CORE."    In a group of people, esprit de corps is    the group members' happy feeling of belonging.    ("Esprit de corps" is a common phrase.) 2. Esprit fort     It literally means "strong spirit."    Pronounce it "eh SPREE FOR."    An esprit fort is a person with a strong mind.    In other words, esprits forts are    people who think for themselves    in an unprejudiced, unconventional way.    ("Esprit fort" is a rare phrase.) 3. Esprit de l'escalier    It literally means "spirit of the staircase" or "bravery of the staircase."    Pronounce it "eh SPREED less call YAY."    An esprit de l'escalier is    something to say, like a witty reply,    that you think of only later, when it's too late to say it.    (The idea is that you might think of your esprit de l'escalier    when you're walking up the staircase,    having left the conversation.)    ("Esprit de l'escalier" is a rare phrase.) How to use these: For "esprit," talk about a person of esprit, a person's esprit, or the esprit of a person. Or, talk about someone doing something with esprit. Or say that something has the esprit of something in particular: "the film is brimming with the esprit of young love." For "esprit de corps," talk about the esprit de corps in, of, among, or within a group, or say that people are creating or displaying esprit de corps, upholding or undermining their esprit de corps, etc. For "esprit fort," refer to people as esprits forts, or say that people are trying to act like esprits forts or trying to pass for esprits forts. In fact, we use this term mostly for sarcasm and ridicule. "Oh, aren't you just an esprit fort?" "They're full of pretension, a bunch of esprits forts." For "esprit de l'escalier," say that you think of an esprit de l'escalier, or that an esprit de l'escalier occurs to you. Or, say that some comment seems like an esprit d'escalier if it's too clever, like it was thought of earlier and saved up for future use. examples: It's written with esprit and gentle caricature: my all-time favorite article, "Don’t make fun of renowned Dan Brown." "In 1928, when I was nine, I belonged, with maximum esprit de corps, to an organization known as the Comanche Club. ... If our Comanche hearts were set on camping, we went over to the Palisades and roughed it."    —J. D. Salinger, Nine Stories, 1953 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definitions in your own words:    Explain "esprit" without saying "spirit."    Explain "esprit de corps" without saying "fellowship."    Explain "esprit fort" without saying "free thinker."    And explain "esprit de l'escalier" without saying "delayed comeback." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "At age _____ I considered myself an esprit fort and refused to believe _____." Example: "At age fourteen I considered myself an esprit fort and refused to believe that my parents could be right about anything." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we're playing "Sleek Slogans." I'll take a familiar slogan from a company or a product, express that slogan in plain language, and tell you the specific qualities the slogan has (like rhyme or alliteration), and then you come up with the real slogan as well as the name of the company or product. From the previous issue: Rewrite this slogan by using imagery and alliteration (repeated sounds, as in "vim and vigor"): "Use our product, and confer on your car all the qualities we associate with a jungle cat, like grace, strength, beauty, and ferocity." Answer: That's a slogan for Exxon: "Put a tiger in your tank."  Try this one today: Rewrite this slogan by using rhyme, repetition, and onomatopoeia (words that actually sound like what they mean): "Prepare our product, hear the distinctive sounds it makes, and know that you'll soon feel better." review today's word: 1. A close opposite of ESPRIT DE L'ESCALIER is A. THOUGHTFULLY CONSIDERED RAISON D'ETRE. B. CAREFULLY COMPOSED RECAPITULATION. C. SWIFTLY DELIVERED REJOINDER. 2. Critics _____ the esprit of the show's dialogue. A. praised B. bemoaned C. were puzzled by Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A