Counterscoff

/ˌkaʊntərˈskɔːf/ noun

Definition

A scornful remark or contemptuous response made in reaction to someone else's scoffing or mocking comment.

Etymology

From counter- + scoff. Scoff comes from Old Norse skopa meaning to mock or jeer. This word is archaic and appears primarily in historical literature rather than modern usage.

Kelly Says

A counterscoff is when someone mocks your mocking—it's a verbal judo move where you flip their contempt back at them. Elizabethan playwrights loved writing these rapid-fire insult exchanges.

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