jeu d'esprit
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: A clever, witty, or playful display of intellect, typically expressed in a brief piece of writing or a spoken remark. It emphasizes lightness, brilliance, and humor over depth or seriousness.
Usage
A jeu d'esprit is used to describe a witty or ingenious creation, often literary, that is characterized by its cleverness and playful spirit. It is a showcase of intellectual agility and humor.
Examples
- The essay was not a rigorous analysis but a delightful , full of puns and clever turns of phrase.
- His after-dinner speech was a perfect , charming the audience with its wit and brevity.
- The magazine published a short that cleverly satirized current political trends.
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies a work that is slight in form or purpose but exceptional in its clever execution. It is an intellectual diversion.
- It can sometimes carry a slightly dismissive connotation, suggesting something is more about showing off wit than conveying substantive content, though usually in a positive light.
Variants and Related Words
- Bon mot (n): A clever remark or witticism. (A is similar but is strictly a witty saying, while a can be a longer written piece.)
- Epigram (n): A concise, clever, and often paradoxical statement or poem. (An is a specific form that a might take.)
Synonyms
- Witticism: A clever and witty remark.
- Pleasantry: A polite or amusing remark, often less intellectual than a .
- Whimsy: Playfully quaint or fanciful humor, often in artistic form.
Idioms and Phrases
Note: As a borrowed French phrase, 'jeu d'esprit' itself functions as a fixed expression in English and is not typically part of English idioms or phrasal verbs.
Noun
- a witty comment or writing