quip means A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback; a gibe. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 73 out of 100.
Why this word is great
QUIP — [Noun/Verb] A clever, witty, and often sarcastic remark or retort, delivered with verbal economy. Its lineage is pleasingly succinct: a clipping of the earlier ‘quippy,’ itself likely from the Latin quippe (“indeed, forsooth”)—an arch interjection of feigned surprise. Unlike a "gibe," which is a blunt instrument of mockery, or an "anecdote," which unfolds a brief narrative, a quip is a singular, polished stone of insight. It is the sharp, satisfying click of a well-turned lock; the glint of sunlight on a freshly honed blade; the perfect, deflating punctuation to a pompous monologue. A quip defends the mind’s territory with a smile, a minor artistry against the earnest, lumbering discourse of the world.
noun
- A smart, sarcastic turn or jest; a taunt; a severe retort or comeback; a gibe.“Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles.”
verb
- To make a quip.“In an eerily prescient bit, Kent Brockman laughingly quips that if seventy degree weather in the winter is the Gashouse Effect in action, he doesn’t mind one bit.”
- To taunt; to mock with quips.“the more he laughs, and does her closely quip”