WordWealth: repartee

rep·ar·tee , n.

1. a quick, witty reply. 2. conversation full of such replies. 3. skill in making such replies.

[1635–45; < F repartie retort, n. use of fem. ptp. of repartir, MF, equiv. to re- RE- + partir to PART]

—Syn. 2. banter, sparring, fencing. (Random House Webster's Unabridged). Look at Thesaurus

Larry impressed the comedy club audience by maintaining his composure and acknowledging the heckler with only a brief, good-natured repartee. —— Merriam-Webster

But the lack of sustained plot or characterization puts as heavy a burden on Dyer's prose as sunsets do on sightseers. At times, he tries too hard to dazzle, particularly in his dialogue. Dyer's conversations read like repartee recollected in tranquillity: precisely rendered quips and rejoinders, sprinkled with knowing asides to Baudelaire and Rilke. Perhaps that's how Dyer really talked to a girlfriend in a rice paddy years ago, or while playing catch with a German beside a Balinese waterfall. But I rather doubt he recorded their witticisms so precisely at the time, particularly given the quantity of drugs consumed. —— Tony Horwitz; The Art of the Loiterlogue; The New York Times; Jan 12, 2003

And having stunned them with our repartee and logic we should take advantage of their rare moment of silence to outline their responsibilities. Players come and players go but 'The Wake Up and Smell the Coffees' (as the Premiership chairmen en masse shall henceforth be known) have the power to profoundly damage the game.--They too, therefore, should be expected to conform to acceptable standards of behaviour. Why should Ken Bates not be fined for his objectionable comments about Israelis live on Sky Sports? As much perhaps as his four players who, while guilty of drunk and crass behaviour in a hotel used by Americans on 12 September were, at least, innocent of racism. —— Will Buckley; A Moral Wake-Up Call; Observer; Jan 6, 2002