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A.Word.A.Day--bon mot

This week's theme: Words related to repartee

bon mot (bon mo) noun, plural bons mots

noun: A witty remark.

[From French bon mot, literally good word. It's from the same language in which mother-in-law is called belle-mere, literally beautiful mother. No wonder French was once the language of diplomacy.]

"Many people are familiar with the things [Samuel] Johnson said - with bon mots such as 'patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel' and 'when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'."
Catherine Keenan; Johnson's Defining Glory; The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia); Jan 7, 2006 .

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