synonyms: aphorism, apothegm, maxim, jeu dʼesprit, dictum ???
► definition
Definition:
a pithy, clever remark
---
n. A short, sharp saying in prose or verse, frequently characterize by acidity or acerbity and sometimes by wisdom.
Ambrose Bierce. The Devil's Dictionary
► uses
Uses:
"The basis of every scandal is an immoral certainty," said Lord Henry, lighting a cigarette. "You would sacrifice anybody, Harry, for the sake of an epigram." "The world goes to the altar of its own accord," was the answer.
Oscar Wilde. The Picture of Dorian Gray
---
she said simple things with some sense in them. In the society in which she lived such plain statements produced the effect of the wittiest epigram. Princess Myakaya could never see why it had that effect, but she knew it had, and took advantage of it.
Leo Tolstoy. Anna Karenina (Translated by Constance Garnett)