brevity is the soul of wit en · X
Pronunciation
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Etymology
Coined by William Shakespeare in 1602 in "Hamlet," act 2, scene 2: : Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, : And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, : I will be brief: your noble son is mad...
Meanings
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Conciseness of expression is an essential characteristic of astute, perceptive, or witty remarks.
Brevity is the Soul of Wit. Talking to your infant is good, but uttering individual words might be better.
2001 March 5, Daniel S. Levy, “In Brief”, in Time:"[I]f people would only settle their affairs in that way, a good part of the occupation of lawyers would be gone. Brevity is the soul of wit; and the fear of simplicity is the beginning of litigation."
1912, R. Austin Freeman, chapter 5, in The Mystery of 31 New Inn:Y'see, a guy named William Shakesman once said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." This just means don't waste my time.
2012 April 9, Mike Stoslaka, Star Wars: the Phantom Menace Review:The same complaint must be made against Mr. Matthew's excellent survey of the theory of evolution, as against Dr. Erasmus Darwin's original exposition of the same theory, namely, that it is too short. It may be very true that brevity is the soul of wit, but the leaders of science will generally succeed in burking new-born wit, unless the brevity of its soul is found compatible with a body of some bulk.
1879, Samuel Butler, chapter 18, in Evolution, Old & New:
Translations (9)
hi संक्षिप्तता बुद्धि की आत्मा है (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · fi lyhyestä virsi kaunis (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · ar خَيْرُ الكَلَامِ مَا قَلَّ وَدَلَّ (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · da korthed er videns sjæl (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · cmn 言貴簡潔 /言贵简洁 (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · cmn 言以簡為貴 /言以简为贵 (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · de in der Kürze liegt die Würze (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · fr la brièveté est l’âme de l’esprit (conciseness is essential to witty remarks) · es la brevidad es el alma del talento (conciseness is essential to witty remarks)