Treppenwitz / esprit de l’escalier

Hello and welcome to Word of the Week! I’m your host, Liz. This podcast is dedicated to words and phrases that are untranslatable into English. Let’s discover the nuance of the world’s languages, shall we? 

This week’s word is a double hitter: Treppenwitz in German and esprit de l’escalier in French. They both refer to a clever remark that comes to mind when it’s too late to utter it. We’ve all been there. At a house party, seeing our crush from across the room, trying to chat them up eventually and failing to have a comeback about tying the knot when they suddenly bring up their love of sailing. D’oh!

If only our brains could catch up with the social situation we put ourselves in willingly! Both words have to do with staircases. In French, it’s the “spirit of the staircase” but in German it’s “staircase wit”. Both referring to the staircase you’re on, as you’re leaving the party. Very European term - since more buildings of old in Europe had staircases and not elevators. And elevator wit sounds like a very different thing.

In addition to referring to the kind of remark that occurs to you when it’s too late, it also applies to events that appear to be the cruel joke told by fate. The Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812 is a classic example. Andrew Jackson led his irregulars to the war’s greatest victory for the Americans - only problem was it was fought two weeks after the Americans and British had signed a peace treaty. Oops.

However, a Treppenwitz can be awfully great to share with the friend who’s leaving the party with you. I’m sure whole TikTok accounts are based on slyly edited videos of getting the last laugh. Even if it only happens when you’re home alone wiping makeup off oyur face before bedtime. 

Here’s to this week… May you all endeavor to adopt this Word of the Week and see the world a little bit differently. I’ll be back next week with a new word. Thank you for listening!