It’s often joked that the Germans have a word for everything, but in this case, the perfectly apt term comes from the French. “Esprit de l’escalier” translates literally as “wit of the staircase,” describing a witty remark that comes to mind as one is on the staircase to leave. Surely this is a universal experience — in a tense situation, your mind blanks, but later on, the perfect retort is easy to find. We’re sure there’s a neurological explanation that ties together our ability to access the language areas of the brain while under duress, but it’s still frustrating to be tongue-tied when all you want is a smooth response. When esprit de l’escalier strikes, and those answers come flooding in, jot them down and perhaps the moment to use them will return.