A Day Late

I've always been impressed at quick witted people. How did they come up with that response so quickly? How does their brain work to get to that conclusion? Usually it's in response to something I've said that makes me look like I just got out of diapers. (OOH BURN). And it's inevitable, I think of a comeback or clever response hours after I've been zinged. There is a name for this. It's "treppenwitz". German origin, means wit or joke of the stairs, or stairway wit. It describes the predicament of thinking of the right comeback too late. Any witty or clever remark that comes to mind too late to be useful - when one is on the "staircase" leaving the scene. It doesn't bother me too much when I'm the butt of a joke. Helps keep me humble, and if you can't laugh at yourself, you shouldn't be allowed to laugh at others. When the teasing seems to be relentless though, what I do to bring it to an end is think of something to cut myself down even more so than the person ribbing me. They get a laugh and think "How do I top that?". You have to be careful who you tease though. If you've teed off against another quick witted person, be prepared to be fired back at. It may come down to slamming each other's moms. I find it best to just hug and then go have a beer together.