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Banter is a relatively modern term and as such the exact concept is yet to be pinpointed. However, the chief intention of the word is to signify an incident of a light hearted exchange of relatively unspiteful insults. At a stretch, the term can be used to indicate any episode of conversation that was enjoyed by both parties. Image File history File links Stop_hand. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary is a Wikimedia Foundation project intended to be a free wiki dictionary (hence: Wiktionary) (including thesaurus and lexicon) in every language. ...

Banter can be found in many shapes and sizes; banter with close friends, pub banter, and, for the very brave, banter with authority. In all of these examples, the underlying principles are the same: banter is good humoured, playful conversation.

Successful banter requires careful consideration of what angle of attack should be adopted; this requires good foresight and awareness of the mood and situation. Apart from for the most tactless of banter wannabees, this awareness will develop with experience.

Misjudging the mood has the potential to lead to disastrous consequences as Chelsea F.C. players Jody Morris, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Frank Sinclair and Eidur Gudjohnsen discovered when delivering banter to a group of grieving Americans in a top London hotel as the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. Their failure to judge the mood led to their removal from the hotel and a slating from the national press, proving that top sportsmen do not necessarily make good banterers.

This scene from TV's The Office between characters Gareth Keenan and Tim Canterbury can be characterised as 'what banter should be'. Here, Tim possesses such an outstanding grasp of the situation that he manages to gain the upper hand by delightful, well-placed and well-timed banter:

Gareth: In this room, I have special... Tim: Needs? Gareth: No, I am a special... Tim: Needs child? In actual fact, it is difficult to give any example of banter here, because by its very nature 'banter' takes place in real time. Readers should note that because the above conversation is scripted, it is not banter de facto. Furthermore, it is impossible to epitomise banter in a single quote as it is time and place dependent, but like true beauty, true banter is always apparent to the beholder.

A Marshall/Murphy combination providing banter which even a mastercard can not afford.