| Subject | English | Russian |
| gen. | esprit de l'escalier | лестничное остроумие (Used to refer to the fact that a witty remark or retort often comes to mind after the opportunity to make it has passed. ‘Now if I'd managed to say all that off the cuff then I would be a genius comedian, but as it was I had to make do with experiencing esprit de l'escalier on the way home.' ‘I am frequently afflicted with esprit de l'escalier.' Origin French, literally ‘wit of the staircase' (i.e. a witty remark coming to mind on the stairs leading away from a gathering).  oxforddictionaries.com Alexander Demidov) |
| fr. | l'esprit de l'escalier | запоздалый ответ (His argument left me so speechless that I couldn't clearly think of a response until I reached the bottom of the stairs. Then, l'esprit de l'escalier came to me. VLZ_58) |
| fr. | l'esprit de l'escalier | крепок задним умом (досл. лестничный ум, остроумие на лестнице – фраза, эквивалентная русской поговорке "задним умом крепок", означающая, что человек находит правильный/хороший ответ, когда время для него уже упущено. VLZ_58) |
