Winifred Coles

I never forget a face … but in your case I'll make an exception

How many times have you found yourself struck dumb with anger, unable to think of the perfect repost only to come up with something wonderful later when your adversary has gone and any retort seems like sour grapes? The French call it ‘L’espirit de l’escalier’, meaning the moment at the bottom of the stairs when the rage-induced paralysis clears and suddenly you know exactly what you should have said, but alas, the right moment has passed.

Avoid being caught out again with ‘The Art of the Put-Down’, a collection of the world’s best put downs from history’s greatest wits: including Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Oscar Wilde, Groucho Marx, Mae West and Dorothy Parker. They just don’t make insults like they used to, so plunder the past for great comebacks and watch your office nemesis wither with shame when you leave them lost for words.