Wit 380286 217868770 2008-06-08T02:01:05Z Bobo192 97951 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/86.132.166.178|86.132.166.178]] ([[User talk:86.132.166.178|talk]]) to last version by Wit {{Wiktionary}} {{Otheruses4|the form of humour|other uses|Wit (disambiguation)}} '''Wit''' is a form of intellectual [[humour]]. A wit (person) is someone skilled in making witty remarks. Forms of wit include: the '''quip''' and the '''repartee'''. == Forms of wit == As in the wit of Parker's set, the [[Algonquin Round Table]], witty remarks may be intentionally cruel (as in many [[epigram]]s), and perhaps more ingenious than funny. A '''quip''' is an observation or saying that has some wit but perhaps descends into [[sarcasm]], or otherwise is short of point; a witticism also suggests the diminutive. '''Repartee''' is the wit of the quick answer and capping comment: the snappy comeback and neat retort. ([[Oscar Wilde|Wilde]]: "I wish I'd said that." [[James McNeill Whistler|Whistler]]: "You will, Oscar, you will".) In French one can distinguish between the ''[[wiktionary:bon mot|bon mot]]'', a witty remark actually produced, and the ''[[wiktionary:esprit d'escalier|esprit d'escalier]]'', the thing one should have said that typically comes to mind too late to be of any use. == Wit defined == In his [[dictionary]], [[Samuel Johnson]] states that the original meaning of wit is "the powers of the mind; the mental faculties; the intellects"; he also defines wit as "quickness of fancy", among the nine definitions. In [[Webster's Dictionary]], wit is defined as "the association of ideas in a manner natural, but unusual and striking, so as to produce surprise joined with pleasure". An episode of [[Animated television series|television series]] ''[[The Simpsons]]'' defined wit, in [[Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield]] as "nothing more than an incisive observation, humorously phrased and delivered with impeccable timing." [[Shakespeare]]'s [[Polonius]] said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Another possible definition of wit, or humor, loosely attributable to [[Sigmund Freud|Freud]], is "anger, turned sideways". Wit can also mean intelligence, sharpness and cleverness. A witty person is likely to be intelligent. == Wit in poetry == Wit in [[poetry]] is characteristic of [[metaphysical poetry]] as a style, and was prevalent in the time of English playwright [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], who admonished pretension with the phrase "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit". It may combine [[word play]] with conceptual thinking, as a kind of verbal display requiring attention, without intending to be laugh-aloud funny; in fact wit can be a thin disguise for more poignant feelings that are being versified. English poet [[John Donne]] is the representative of this style of poetry. == Further meanings == More generally, one's wits are one's intellectual powers of all types. Native wit — meaning the wits with which one is born — is closely synonymous with [[common sense]]. To live by one's wits is to be an [[opportunist]], not always of the scrupulous kind. To have one's wits about one is to be alert and capable of quick [[reasoning]]. == Famous wits == [[John Wilkes]] was famous in the [[eighteenth century|18th Century]] for his wit in response to insults. [[Mark Twain]] and [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Dorothy Parker]] and [[Groucho Marx]] are considered archetypal [[nineteenth century|19th]] and [[twentieth century|20th century]] wits — sometimes even having the remarks of others attributed to them. Also of the twentieth century was British prime minister [[Winston Churchill]], with perhaps the most well documented witticisms of his time. [[Oliver St. John Gogarty]] was a renowned [[Dublin]] wit and [[surgeon]], while [[John Philpot Curran]] was an Irish lawyer who would disrupt court hearings with his witticisms. [[Ksawery Tartakower]] is usually described as [[chess grandmaster]] ''and'' wit. [[John Lennon]] of famous pop group [[The Beatles]] was notorious for his sharp and cutting wit, often being labeled "the witty Beatle". The late [[David Lange]], the Prime Minister of New Zealand in the 1980s, immortalized with his nuclear-free legislation, is another well-known historical figure who is remembered for his quick wit. == See also == * [[Oxford Wits]] * [[New Oxford Wits]] * [[Hartford Wits]] ==Bibliography== * D. W. Jefferson, "''Tristram Shandy'' and the Tradition of Learned Wit" in ''Essays in Criticism'', 1(1951), 225-48 [[Category:Humor]] [[Category:Word play]] [[de:Schlagfertigkeit]]