Treppenwitz
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German[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Treppe (“stairs, steps”) + -n- + Witz (“wit”), a calque of French esprit de l’escalier.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Noun[edit]
Treppenwitz m (strong, genitive Treppenwitzes, plural Treppenwitze)
- (fairly rare) staircase wit; l'esprit de l'escalier; a remark or rejoinder thought of only when it is too late
- (more common) an ironic and absurd coincidence; something that, if it were not true, would seem like a bad joke
- ein Treppenwitz der Weltgeschichte ― an irony of world history
Declension[edit]
Declension of Treppenwitz [masculine, strong]
| singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indef. | def. | noun | def. | noun | |
| nominative | ein | der | Treppenwitz | die | Treppenwitze |
| genitive | eines | des | Treppenwitzes | der | Treppenwitze |
| dative | einem | dem | Treppenwitz, Treppenwitze1 | den | Treppenwitzen |
| accusative | einen | den | Treppenwitz | die | Treppenwitze |
1Now rare, see notes.
Further reading[edit]
- “Treppenwitz” in Duden online