Retort
A quick, pointed reply that turns the previous speaker's words back on them.
A retort (from Latin retorquere, 'to twist back') is a reply that answers a remark by turning its own force around. It is defined by its relationship to what came just before: without the provocation, there is no retort — only a stray sentence. The good ones re-use the vocabulary, structure, or assumption of the original line and hand it back sharpened.
A retort is not the same as a comeback, though the words are often traded. A comeback is any effective reply after being attacked; a retort specifically inverts. Nancy Astor's supposed line to Churchill — 'If you were my husband, I'd put poison in your coffee' — and his supposed reply — 'If you were my wife, I'd drink it' — is the textbook shape: same premise, reversed target.
In print, retorts almost require the setup line to be quoted with them. On their own they read as non sequiturs; in context they read as inevitability. This is why anthologies of great retorts always give the provocation first, even when it dilutes the compression.
Common mistake: treating any rude reply as a retort. A retort earns its name by using the opponent's material. Simple insult is not retort — it is just insult with better timing.
“Madam, if I were your husband, I would drink it.”
Keep reading the glossary
A brief, witty remark — sharper than an observation, lighter than an argument.
A sharp, witty, and often cutting remark delivered for maximum effect — the modern cousin of the epigram.
A clever, often spontaneous remark that delivers humour through verbal ingenuity.
A quick reply that answers, and ideally reverses, an insult or challenge.