For those of you out there who aren’t bilingual English/French, the direct translation is “The Spirit of the Stairs” or “The Wit of the Stairs.” The phrase is a French colloquialism originating from the witticisms of Dennis Diderot, a French author of encyclopedias. Essentially, it describes the response to an insult or cutting remark, when it comes to late to be useful. Romantically, a spirit that comes to you on the stairs, as you leave a party, telling you what you should have said when…
Continue