Who has not ever remembered something important just when it is too late? In French, the expression l'esprit de l'escalier (the spirit of the staircase) is used to define that moment when we suddenly remember something that we should have done or said in a certain situation, but that is no longer the time to carry out cape.
As when, after a discussion, the fact or argument that would have infallibly proved us right comes to mind . The coinage of the term is attributed to the encyclopedist philosopher Denis Diderot (1713-1784) in his work The Comedian's Paradox .
The staircase in this case would be that of the speakers' platform, who tend to remember that ingenious argument precisely when they are already coming down from the podium. Then frustration, regret, or even a certain guilt overcomes them for not having known how to wield it at the right moment. Actually, the correct translation in Spanish would be “el ingenio de la escala” or “el ingenio de la escalacion”.
The expression, in general, also indicates the state of frustration that anyone can feel when they do not have answers for certain situations. With that intention it is used in psychology with the variant of "l'escalier syndrome".
