REPARTEE

Oxford Dictionery defines repartee as 'practice or skill of making
witty retorts". To constitute a brilliant repartee, what is needed is
an undertone of wit and humour and timely retort. It is an answer to a
provocation and not a suo motto statement. Here are a few examples of
brilliant repartees:

G.K.Chesterton, the Essayist, was well built and stocky. His friend,
the playwright George Bernard Shaw, was lean and hungry looking with
an untrimmed beard. Once Chesterton told Shaw ' anybody looking at
you will think that there is famine in England'. Shaw immediately
retorted, 'if they look at you, they would know the reason for that'.

Provoked by Bernard Shaw's acid tongue, once a lady said 'Sir, if you
were my husband, I would have given you hemlock. (hemlock was the
poison administered to Socrates). Shaw, politely replied, 'Madam, if
you were my wife, I would have drunk it happily'.

Again, impressed by Shaw's brilliance, another attractive looking lady
proposed 'Sir, if you marry me, we will have a child who would be as
bright as you are and as good looking as I am". Shaw had a ready
answer - 'Madam, if the child happens to be as iintelligent as you are
and as good looking as I am, what shall we do?'

When late Shri C.N. Annadurai was quoting portions from Indian Penal
Code, a reporter asked him, 'Sir, are you legally trained? 'No. I
have learnt a little bit of law, from having been prosecuted so
often', was the reply.

Again, once Mr.Annadurai was told 'Sir, you are stretching your leg'.
Mr.Annadurai replied, 'gentleman, my steps are measured'.

When Right Honorable Srinivasa Shastri, the Silver Tongued Orator of
India, was in the seventh standard, once an English teacher was
explaining the intricacies of English grammar. He suddenly said,
'sorry boys, I committed a mistake'. Young Srinivasan immediately got
up and said, "Sir, mistakes are made, only murders are committed". It
would be of some interest to know that Srinivasa Shastri's major hobby
was to read the Oxford English Dictionary and get the right usage and
pronounciation.

When wondered asto what a simple life Gandhiji was leading, Sarojini
Naidu, the Nightingale of India, smilingly quipped "It costs us a
fortune to keep Gandhiji poor".

And finally, When Dr.Samuel Johnson was pointed out a wrong expression
used by him, his charcteristic reply was 'Terminological
inexactitude, Sir'.

Repartee is a brilliant art and is often resorted to bring down
upstarts and to enliven conversations. If carried to the extreme, it
would promote hostility.
knr

--
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God