witty

to be cleverly funny

TRANSLATION

witty = geistreich, witzig

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

The drama critic James Agate once approached Lilian Braithwaite at a social function. "My dear lady," he declared, "may I tell you something I have wanted to tell you for years: that you are the second most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom."

Agate, awaiting the obvious question - for which he had prepared a suitably WITTY reply - was disappointed by the actress's own clever answer:

"Thank you, I shall always cherish* that," Braithwaite remarked, "as coming from the second-best drama critic!"

Braithwaite, Dame Florence Lilian (1873-1948) British actress

*cherish = schätzen

Did you
know?

witty

1. Possessing or demonstrating wit in speech or writing; very clever and humorous.

2. Characterized by or having the nature of wit; funny or jocular: a witty saying.

3. Quick to discern and express amusing insights or relationships.

4. Entertainingly and strikingly clever or original in concept, design, or performance: a witty sculpture; witty choreography.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Synonyms:

amusing, bright, brilliant, campy, crazy, diverting, entertaining, epigrammatic, fanciful, funny, humorous, ingenious, intelligent, jocose, jocular, joshing, keen, lively, original, penetrating, piercing, piquant, quick-witted, ridiculous, scintillating, screaming, slapstick, sparkling, waggish, whimsical

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