quip

Definition

A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback; a gibe.

Etymology

From a shortening of earlier quippy, perhaps from Latin quippe (“indeed”), ultimately quid (“what”).

Example Sentences

• "Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles."
• "He was full of joke and jest, / But all his merry quips are o'er."
• "He wrote it down, remembering a quip of Pym's, paraphrased from Clemenceau: "Military intelligence has as much to do with intelligence as military music has to do with music.”"