Contents -AUTHOR INDEX -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Mawson, C.O.S., ed. (1870–1938). Roget’s International Thesaurus. 1922.

Class VI. Words Relating to the Sentient and Moral Powers
Section II. Personal Affections
1. Passive Affections

842. Wit.

   NOUN:WIT, wittiness; Attic -wit, – salt; Atticism; salt, esprit [F.], point, fancy, whim, humor or humour, drollery, pleasantry.
  BUFFOONERY, fooling, farce, tomfoolery; shenanigan [slang, U. S.], harlequinade [See The Drama]; broad -farce, – humor; fun, espiéglerie [F.]; vis comica [L.].
  JOCULARITY; jocosity, jocoseness; facetiousness; waggery, waggishness; whimsicality; comicality [See Ridiculousness].
  SMARTNESS, ready wit, banter, persiflage, badinage [F.], retort, repartee, quid pro quo [L.]; ridicule [See Ridicule].
  FACETIÆ, quips and cranks; jest, joke, capital joke; canorœ nugœ [L.]; standing -jest, – joke; conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity [rare], concetto [It.], plaisanterie [F.], brilliant idea; merry -, bright -, happy- thought; sally; flash, – of wit, – of merriment; scintillation; mot, – pour rire [F.]; witticism, smart saying, bon mot [F.], jeu d’esprit [F.], epigram; jest book; dry joke, quodlibet [L.], cream of the jest.
  WORD-PLAY, jeu de mots [F.], play upon words; pun, punning; double entente [F.] (ambiguity) [See Equivocalness]; quibble, verbal quibble; conundrum (riddle) [See Secret]; anagram, acrostic, double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade [obs.].
  OLD JOKE, Joe Miller, chestnut [slang]; hoary-headed -joke, – jest; joke -, jest- with whiskers [humorous].
   VERB:JOKE, jest, cut jokes; crack a joke, get off a joke; pun; perpetrate a -joke, – pun; make fun of, make merry with; set the table in a roar (amuse) [See Amusement]; tell a good -story, – yarn.
  RETORT, flash back, flash, scintillate; banter (ridicule) [See Ridicule]; ridentem dicere verum [L.]; joke at one’s expense.
   ADJECTIVE:WITTY, Attic; clever, keen, keen-witted, brilliant, pungent; quick-witted, nimble-witted; smart; jocular, jocose, funny, waggish, facetious, whimsical, humorous; playful [See Amusement]; merry and wise; pleasant, sprightly, cute [colloq.], spirituel [F.], sparkling, epigrammatic, full of point, ben trovato [It.]; comic [See Ridiculousness].
   ADVERB:in joke, in jest, for the jest’s sake, in sport, in play.
   QUOTATIONS:

1. Adhibenda est in jocando moderatio.
2. Gentle dullness ever loves a joke.—Pope
3. Leave this keen encounter of our wits.—Richard III