Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RIPOSTE
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Our word riposte is the sassier, flashier, Frenchier synonym of re___der; both mean "a sharp or witty response to something, usually in disagreement."
Originally, though, a riposte was a quick countering thrust of the sword.
So, speaking of swordplay, see if you can recall these two terms:
1. To ward off an oncoming blow or thrust so that it doesn't reach you--or, in general, to skillfully avoid or deflect something, is to p___y.
2. Talk that reminds you of swordplay because it's fast, funny, clever, and sharp is re____ee.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"RIPOSTE"
From French, and ultimately from the Latin word that gave us "respond," our word "riposte" was originally a term used in fencing (sword fighting) that meant "a quick return thrust."
In general, now, a riposte is a snappy comeback. In other words, a riposte is a sharp, quick, witty response or reply.
"Riposte" can be a verb, too. To riposte is to say or write a sharp, quick, witty response or reply.
Pronunciation:
Either "ruh POST" or "ree POST."
Part of speech:
Often a noun, the countable kind: "this riposte," "they keep making ripostes."
Also a verb, usually the intransitive kind: "he riposted," "she ripostes with no delay."
Other forms:
ripostes, riposted, riposting
How to use it:
Most often, a riposte is literally a stated or written response, something you say or write in words. But a riposte can also be a response in any form, like a gesture, an action, a decision, or a creation.
Talk about someone's ripostes, or about people making ripostes, often to other people: "this snarky narrator keeps making ripostes directly to the reader." You can also pen ripostes, share ripostes, hurl ripostes, be at a loss for ripostes, and so on.
Or, talk about people creating or intending things (like articles, books, or parodies) as ripostes to or for other things. "His comic is intended as a riposte to the president's latest demands."
So far, we've used "riposte" as a noun. To use it as a verb, talk about people riposting, or riposting with wisecracks, riposting with sarcasm, riposting with counter accusations, etc.
You can also say someone ripostes that "such-and-such is true:" "Asked if her husband could still moonwalk, she riposted that indeed he could, in appropriate circumstances."
With this, though, we're coming dangerously close to using "riposte" as a verb of dialogue attribution, like this: "'Mind your own business,' he riposted." And while that's certainly allowed, it's arguably tacky. If you've been studying with me for a while, you know I hate with a fiery passion the use of precise verbs as dialogue attributors, and so do writers such as Stephen King. Why? It's dorky, lazy, and contrived. It's always better, in my opinion, to just say "said" or to just use no attributive verb at all, letting the dialogue stand on its own. "'Mind your own business,' he said." Or, "'Mind your own business.'"
examples:
"True to form, Facebook responded...on Wednesday with a blog post that’s framed as a clarification but written as a riposte."
— Will Oremus, Slate, 5 December 2018
"A riposte to the proper, ladylike, longer coats of the period, this significant statement [a designer pea coat for women] nodded to the fact that women were finding their place in a man's world."
— Katherine K. Zarrella, Wall Street Journal, 11 January 2019
has this page helped you understand "riposte"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "riposte" without saying "counterstroke" or "sharp comeback."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is a (grand, zippy, slashing, full-throated, half-baked, poorly planned, etc.) riposte to (something else)."
Example: "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo is a delightful riposte to the vice president's opposition to LGBT rights."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is Distinctive Definitions.
We're taking a scenic slog through poetic and philosophical definitions, wading through similes, metaphors, personifications, hyperboles, grandiloquence, and cheesiness.
In each issue, consider a definition provided by a poet, a writer, or a philosopher, and see if you can name the definiendum: the thing or concept being defined. (Is it life, love, time, death, music, sleep, pain, laughter, bubblegum, stubbing your toe…???) For example, James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) said, "What men call ________ and the Gods call dross." He’s defining something—what is it? "Treasure."
Now, you can play this game in earnest, trying to think of what the poet actually wrote--or you can play it for laughs, supplying the silliest or most sarcastic answer you can muster.
To take the silliness to the next level, gather your friends or family, deal each person a hand of cards from your copy of Apples to Apples (great for kids) or Cards Against Humanity (not for kids!!), and enjoy the ensuing hilarity. (In these games, players take turns being the judge for each round, picking the funniest from everyone’s submissions.) "What men call stretch limos and the Gods call dross." "What men call Morgan Freeman's voice and the Gods call dross."
From the previous issue:
John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (1838-1923) said, "_____—the most seductive, the most deceiving, the most dangerous of professions."
Answer: Literature.
Try this one today:
Henri Frédéric Amiel (1821-1881) said, "_____ is the brilliant triumph of the soul over the flesh, that is to say over fear: fear of poverty, of suffering, of calumny, of illness, of loneliness and of death. There is no real piety without _____. _____ is the dazzling and glorious concentration of courage."
review this word:
1. A near opposite of RIPOSTE is
A. PONDER.
B. DISREGARD.
C. CONGRATULATE.
2. On Twitter, her comments were _____ by riposte after riposte.
A. jabbed
B. weighed
C. drowned
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.
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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.
Our word riposte is the sassier, flashier, Frenchier synonym of re___der; both mean "a sharp or witty response to something, usually in disagreement."
"RIPOSTE" From French, and ultimately from the Latin word that gave us "respond," our word "riposte" was originally a term used in fencing (sword fighting) that meant "a quick return thrust."
"True to form, Facebook responded...on Wednesday with a blog post that’s framed as a clarification but written as a riposte."
Explain the meaning of "riposte" without saying "counterstroke" or "sharp comeback."
Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is a (grand, zippy, slashing, full-throated, half-baked, poorly planned, etc.) riposte to (something else)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of RIPOSTE is
|