Make Your Point > Archived Issues > REPARTEE

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connect today's word to others: We get repartee from the world of fencing, where it originally meant "a blow or thrust" before it grew to mean "a verbal blow or thrust: a quick little comment." Could you recall this other fencing term? It starts with P, and it means "to ward off an oncoming blow or thrust," or more generally, "to skillfully avoid or deflect something--often a question you don't want to answer." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "REPARTEE" Repartee is talking that reminds you of swordplay: it's talking that's fast, funny, and clever. Pronunciation: Either "rep are TEE" or "rep ur TEE." Some dictionaries also recognize "rep are TAY." I recommend sticking with "rep are TEE," since it matches how we say "adoptee," "committee," and so on. (Plus, as Charles Harrington Elster explains, "The [TAY] variant is wrong because it is pseudo-French." Yikes, who wants to sound pseudo-French?) Part of speech: Noun. Usually, the uncountable kind. (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 repartee," "this repartee," "his repartee," "such repartee," "no repartee," and so on, but it's much less common to talk about "a repartee," "one repartee," or "repartees.") Other forms: None are common. How to use it: "Repartee" is a fun, lighthearted, positive word. As we're talking about both real life and fiction, we can talk about someone's repartee, or the repartee between people, or someone's repartee with someone else: "We're delighted by her repartee." "We're always amused by the repartee between them." "The play opens on the villain's repartee with his sidekick." You could also say that people enjoy or delight in repartee, engage in repartee, make attempts at repartee, form bonds or friendships with or over repartee, avoid repartee, conclude their repartee, etc. Or, say that some book, movie, or TV show features repartee, is known for its repartee, is beloved for its repartee and so on. Although you'll hear people say "witty repartee," that's redundant: repartee is witty by definition. But why not pick another adjective, if we need one? There's acerbic repartee, sparkling repartee, intellectual repartee, etc. examples: It's impossible to be bored when talking to Alan; he has funny stories, quirky interests, and a gift for repartee. If you loved Gilmore Girls, you probably loved it for the repartee between Rory and her mom Lorelai:    "Rory: I’m going to a serious school now, I need serious paper.    Lorelai: Alright, fine. Here is your serious paper.    Rory: Thank you.    Lorelai: Ooh and here are your somber highlighters, your maudlin pencils, your manic-depressive pens.    Rory: Mom.    Lorelai: Now these erasers are on lithium so they may seem cheerful but we actually caught them trying to shove themselves in the pencil sharpener earlier." study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "repartee" means when you can explain it without saying "witty chatter" or "sharp but good-humored conversation." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone, or some show or series of books) is (known for or beloved for) (his, her, or its) (specific type of) repartee." Example: "Ellen is beloved for her gentle repartee." 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 "Coiners & Coinages." Use your knowledge of science, history, literature, and vocabulary as you match newly coined words to the people who coined them, and vice versa. Let's do this! From our previous issue: If you chuckled and snorted at the same time, you just chortled. Who coined the word CHORTLE: was it Lewis Carroll, Dr. Seuss, or Jeff Foxworthy? Answer: It was Lewis Carroll. Here it is in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass: "'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy." The Oxford English Dictionary seems to treat "chortled" with disdain, calling it a factitious word. But all words are factitious, right? Someone had to make them up! Let's look at another! Try this today: A short, descriptive advertisement for a book is a BLURB. Who coined BLURB? Was it Gelett Burgess, the American novelist and engineer; Jonathan Swift, the Irish author and satirist; or Stephen Fry, the British actor, author, and comedian? review today's word: 1. A near opposite of REPARTEE is A. FACTION. B. JEREMIAD. C. LEVITY. 2. A more specific synonym of REPARTEE is _____, which is _____. A. AEGIS .. firm, strong, secure protection or support B. RAILLERY .. friendly, clever, sarcastic teasing among friends C. TERRA INCOGNITA .. an unknown, unfamiliar, unexplored place or idea 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. B 2. B