Stewart Cockburn
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In the The Princess Bride, William Goldman’s 1973 comedic novel later made into a popular film of the same name, there is swashbuckling galore, as in the famous showdown between the mysterious man in black and the Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya: “The man in black was slowly being forced toward a group of large boulders, for Inigo was anxious to see how well he moved when quarters were close, when you could not thrust or parry with total freedom.” To parry is to ward off a weapon or blow; indeed, parrying is as important to fencing as sticking one’s opponent with the pointy end. The word parry was borrowed from the French verb parer, meaning “to ward off” or “to avert,” and was first used in English in the late 17th century. It didn’t take long for parry to gain a figurative meaning of “to evade or turn aside something,” as when someone disarms a verbal sparring partner with a well-timed rejoinder. Montoya, for instance, parries the criminal Vizzini’s doubt that the man in black can catch up to them (“Inconceivable!”) with the sharp response “You keep using that word! … I don’t think it means what you think it does.”
Examples of parry in a Sentence
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In addition, players have the ability to parry enemy attacks with more weapons thanks to Offset moves.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
Walz parried Vance's criticisms by noting U.S. oil and natural gas production are both at record levels.
—Ben Geman, Axios, 2 Oct. 2024
No one knows that better than Pascual Di Tella, a 28-year-old WME assistant currently in Paris preparing to parry as a member of the Argentinian Olympic fencing team.
—Benjamin Svetkey, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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Dictionary Entries Near parry
Cite this Entry
“Parry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parry. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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parry
verb
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