(n) :
a sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation
"1893, A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure. -- Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Naval Treaty' (Norton 2005, p.670)"
(v) :
to say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation; to make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator
History
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(n) :
a sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a flask with a rounded base and a long neck that is bent down and tapered, used to heat a liquid for distillation
"1893, A large curved retort was boiling furiously in the bluish flame of a Bunsen burner, and the distilled drops were condensing into a two-litre measure. -- Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Naval Treaty' (Norton 2005, p.670)"
(v) :
to say something sharp or witty in answer to a remark or accusation; to make a remark which reverses an argument upon its originator