boutade
Noun

boutade (plural boutades)

  1. A sudden outbreak or outburst; a caprice, a whim.
    • 1884, Henry James, "The Path of Duty" in The English Illustrated Magazine 2(15): 240–256:
      [H]e suddenly broke out, "Well, then, as I understand you, what you recommend me is to marry Miss Bernardstone, and carry on an intrigue with Lady Vandeleur!" He knew perfectly that I recommended nothing of the sort, and he must have been very angry to indulge in this boutade.
    • 1990, Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae:
      Thus we see that Wilde's witticisms contain a wealth of unsuspected meaning. Even his apparently nonsensical boutades are Late Romantic gestures.



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