The answer was that the bon mot is a shaft of wit.

A new bon mot in the language of flowers.

Dan looked hopefully around the table for appreciation of his bon mot.

Here are just a few examples of his bon mots :

His own bon mots, such as "Every woman needs one man in her life who is strong and responsible.

Nearly every other sentence delivers a bon mot or epigram.

But all bon mots aside, would you care to join us this afternoon in a ride around the city?

I trade subtlety for the sudden flash, the bright bon mot.

He was about to try out another bon mot when Dennie cut in.

I looked carefully at Holmes, but, as always, it was difficult to tell if he had attempted a small bon mot.

"It makes dictatorship almost impossible," he said of television, volleying another bon mot.

You can be sure that a winsomely wicked bon mot will fly by every minute or so.

More and more I've noticed that so much sounds better if we can find a bon mot for it from another language.

All waited to exchange bon mots with the newest intellectual courtesan.

Imagine what bon mots you can come up with when you lose the office Oscar pool.

By sundown every pub in Sydney will be repeating his bon mot.

This small bon mot washes right by her.

I just wish the writer had spent more time thinking about actual substance rather than clever bon mots.

"Come on, I haven't time for your bon mots."

His bon mots were on everybody's lips.

Recipes, bon mots and good ideas all counted.

I am most interested in Dubya's next bon mot.

Goethe said that every bon mot of his had cost a purse of gold.

There is appreciative laughter all around, as if he had just uttered a bon mot at a dinner party.