American English · C1 · Unit 21
Wit and wordplay
Wit and wordplay
By the end you can
- Use wordplay and banter naturally
- Make a joke that fits the moment
- Understand jokes that depend on culture
Words and phrases
| American English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| banter | playful, teasing talk | The banter between the teams was the best part. |
| trash talk | playful insults before or during a game | The trash talk started before the first question. |
| touché | you made a good point against me | Touché. I walked right into that one. |
| you got me there | I have no answer to that | Ha, you got me there. |
| a comeback | a quick, clever reply | That was a comeback nobody saw coming. |
| read the room | sense the mood before you speak | Bad timing. You've got to read the room. |
| tongue-in-cheek | not meant seriously | It was a tongue-in-cheek comment. |
| an inside joke | a joke that only a small group understands | It's an inside joke from college. |
| take a joke | not get offended by teasing | Relax, can't you take a joke? |
| roast | make fun of someone affectionately, in public | At his fortieth, his friends roasted him for an hour. |
| quick-witted | fast with clever replies | She's incredibly quick-witted. |
| no pun intended | said after an accidental play on words | We really cleaned up tonight, no pun intended. |
Then talk it through
Friendly trash talk between teams at a bar trivia night. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.