All 26 Uses of
banter
in
The Remains of the Day
- Knowing this to be his likely mood when I brought in the tea yesterday afternoon, and being aware of his general propensity to talk with me in a bantering tone at such moments, it would certainly have been wiser not to have mentioned Miss Kenton at all.†
Chpt Prol.bantering = engaging in amusing conversation
- Embarrassing as those moments were for me, I would not wish to imply that I in any way blame Mr Farraday, who is in no sense an unkind person; he was, I am sure, merely enjoying the sort of bantering which in the United States, no doubt, is a sign of a good, friendly understanding between employer and employee, indulged in as a kind of affectionate sport.†
Chpt Prol.
- Indeed, to put things into a proper perspective, I should point out that just such bantering on my new employer's part has characterized much of our relationship over these months — though I must confess, I remain rather unsure as to how I should respond.†
Chpt Prol.
- Over the following days, however, I came to learn not to be surprised by such remarks from my employer, and would smile in the correct manner whenever I detected the bantering tone in his voice.†
Chpt Prol.
- For it may well be that in America, it is all part of what is considered good professional service that an employee provide entertaining banter.†
Chpt Prol.
- It is quite possible, then, that my employer fully expects me to respond to his bantering in a like manner, and considers my failure to do so a form of negligence.†
Chpt Prol.bantering = engaging in amusing conversation
- But I must say this business of bantering is not a duty I feel I can ever discharge with enthusiasm.†
Chpt Prol. *
- It is all very well, in these changing times, to adapt one's work to take in duties not traditionally within one's realm; but bantering is of another dimension altogether.†
Chpt Prol.
- For one thing, how would one know for sure that at any given moment a response of the bantering sort is truly what is expected?†
Chpt Prol.
- One need hardly dwell on the catastrophic possibility of uttering a bantering remark only to discover it wholly inappropriate.†
Chpt Prol.
- As it happened, I had that same morning been giving thought to the dilemma of whether or not I was expected to reciprocate my employer's bantering, and had been seriously worried at how he might be viewing my repeated failure to respond to such openings.†
Chpt Prol.
- I could not see, then, how I might press on with this bantering; in fact, I decided it best to call a halt to the matter and, pretending to remember something I had urgently to attend to, excused myself, leaving my employer looking rather bemused.†
Chpt Prol.
- But at the same time, I cannot escape the feeling that Mr Farraday is not satisfied with my responses to his various banterings.†
Chpt Prol.
- I looked forward to the visit not only because visitors from Lord Darlington's days are most rare now — Mr Farraday's circle, naturally, being quite different from his lordship's — but also because I presumed Mr Graham would accompany Sir James as of old, and I would thus be able to get his opinion on this question of bantering.†
Chpt Prol.bantering = engaging in amusing conversation
- I must say, I was rather disappointed, for I would like to have discussed the bantering question with him.†
Chpt Prol.
- I was obliged, as I was saying, to spend some uncomfortable minutes standing in the drawing room yesterday afternoon while Mr Farraday went about his bantering.†
Chpt Prol.
- It occurs to me now that the man might just possibly have meant this in a humorous sort of way; that is to say, he intended it as a bantering remark.†
Chpt 1e -
- That is to say, I have been endeavouring to add this skill to my professional armoury so as to fulfil with confidence all Mr Farraday's expectations with respect to bantering.†
Chpt 3m -
- I have been studying this programme because the witticisms performed on it are always in the best of taste and, to my mind, of a tone not at all out of keeping with the sort of bantering Mr Farraday might expect on my part.†
Chpt 3m -
- But, then, I rather fancy it has more to do with this skill of bantering.†
Chpt 6e -
- Listening to them now, I can hear them exchanging one bantering remark after another.†
Chpt 6e -
- In fact, it is possible my bench companion of a while ago expected me to banter with him — in which case, I suppose I was something of a sorry disappointment.†
Chpt 6e -
- Perhaps it is indeed time I began to look at this whole matter of bantering more enthusiastically.†
Chpt 6e -bantering = engaging in amusing conversation
- After all, when one thinks about it, it is not such a foolish thing to indulge in — particularly if it is the case that in bantering lies the key to human warmth.†
Chpt 6e -
- It occurs to me, furthermore, that bantering is hardly an unreasonable duty for an employer to expect a professional to perform.†
Chpt 6e -
- I have of course already devoted much time to developing my bantering skills, but it is possible I have never previously approached the task with the commitment I might have done.†
Chpt 6e -
Definition:
casual conversation that is clever and amuses; or to engage in such conversation