the.com/banter
verbal tennis where the prize is affection disguised as merciless insults
viking rootsNorse warriors traded ritual insults called flyting before fights
class weaponBritish humor weaponizes self-deprecation to defuse status threats
brain workoutQuick wit recruits the same regions as improvisation
bonding glueFriends insult each other more than strangers do
timing rulesA beat too late and it curdles into awkwardness