the.com/retort
The comeback that was ready before the insult even finished landing.
means A sharp, quick reply that turns an attack right back on the person who made it.
from From Latin retorquere, 'to twist back' — torquere being the root that also gives us 'torque.' The image is of bending something back on itself, like wrenching an opponent's own blow back toward them. The word passed through French into English, where it also picked up a curious second life: a 'retort' is a bulb-necked glass flask used in old chemistry labs, named for its twisted-back neck, bent into shape for distilling.
- origin
- from latin retorquere, to twist back
- chemistry cousin
- also a flask used for distillation
- timing
- too slow and it becomes a regret, not a retort