Word of the Day for Monday July 25, 2005 badinage \bad-n-AHZH\, noun: Light, playful talk; banter. Ken was determined to put the cares of the world behind him and do what he loved best -- having a few celebrity friends round and enjoying an evening of anecdote and badinage over a bottle or two of vintage bubbly and some tasty cheese straws. --Bel Littlejohn, "My moustache man," [1]The Guardian, March 24, 2000 The badinage was inconsequential, reduced to who knew whom and wasn't the weather glorious in St. Tropez, or the Bahamas, Hawaii, or Hong Kong? --Robert Ludlum, [2]The Matarese Countdown _________________________________________________________ Badinage comes from French, from badiner, "to trifle, to joke," badin, "playful, jocular." References 1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardian 2. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553579835/ref%3Dnosim/lexico Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=badinage