Meaning
Conciseness is the essence of good expression, or in the common modern reading of humour, since 'wit' now suggests jokes rather than the intelligence or wisdom Shakespeare's audience understood. Quoted as advice to speakers and writers, usually with a smile at its long-winded speaker. Usually quoted with self-aware irony, to excuse a short speech or mock a long one. Regional use: General English (Shakespearean origin).
Origin
In Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2 (c. 1600-01), Polonius announces his report to the king and queen: 'Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit, / And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes, / I will be brief.' The Folger text confirms the lines, together with Gertrude's retort, 'More matter with less art.' The joke is dramatic: Polonius is the play's great waffler, promising brevity in mid-ramble. The Phrase Finder treats the phrase as a Shakespeare coinage, dates Hamlet to 1602 and lists it among English proverbs; it entered general use through quotation and schoolroom study, with 'wit' narrowing from wisdom to cleverness and humour on the way.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- brevity being the soul of wit
- brevity, the soul of wit
- if brevity is the soul of wit
- since brevity is the soul of wit
Usage Examples
- Brevity is the soul of wit, so I will keep this toast under a minute.
- If brevity is the soul of wit, that four-hundred-slide deck is a tragedy.
- She cut the pitch to three slides on the principle that brevity is the soul of wit.