Meaning & use
a witty saying
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Meaning
phrasecountable
A short, clever remark that is funny and shows quick intelligence.
Grammar: Countable: say 'a witty saying' for one and 'witty sayings' for several.
Patterns
- a witty saying about something
- quote a witty saying
- come up with a witty saying
My grandfather ended every speech with a witty saying about growing old.
She posted a witty saying on the office whiteboard, and everyone laughed.
His book is full of witty sayings that make you think as well as smile.
Word forms
| plural | witty sayings |
|---|
Common combinations
- a witty saying about
- He always has a witty saying about the weather.
- a clever saying
- That clever saying stuck in my mind for years.
- a famous saying
- It is a famous saying, but nobody knows who said it first.
- quote a saying
- She quoted a saying from her grandmother's letters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quip
- A quip is a quick, funny remark made in conversation rather than a memorable sentence repeated by others.
- witticism
- Witticism is more formal and often slightly critical, suggesting the speaker is showing off their cleverness.
- epigram
- An epigram is a polished, written short statement; it may be clever but is not necessarily funny.
Word family
Commonly confused: a witty saying or witty?
a witty saying vs witty
Witty is the adjective meaning 'clever and funny'; a witty saying is the noun phrase, so do not write 'a witty' on its own for the remark.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses the phrase correctly.
Choose one answer.
'A witty saying' is a countable singular phrase, so it needs the article 'a' and the singular noun 'saying'. Option 3 drops 'a', and option 4 wrongly mixes 'a' with the plural 'sayings'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a witty saying”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.