riposte

riposte, retort

noun ree-POST Rare

Origin: Italian risposta (response), from rispondere (to respond)

Also means

counter-attack

Usage Note

Riposte in fencing denotes the counter-thrust after parrying an opponent's attack, and French keeps this technical sense. In general use it means a sharp verbal comeback — une riposte cinglante is a stinging retort. The verb riposter means to retort or to counter-attack. The word entered English directly from French, so English 'riposte' and the French are identical.

Examples

"Sa riposte a cloué le bec à tout le monde."

Natural Translation

His retort left everyone speechless.

Literal Translation

His retort nailed the beak of everyone.

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