Terse, succinct and pithy responses are deemed laconic. A terse response would be an abrupt response, similar to a parent responding to a child with a simple - "go to your room!" This is a pithy response and pithy is laconic: short and forcefully expressive. Succinct responses are brief, but clearly expressed.
Some of Hollywood's best known characters were laconic in nature. Dirty Harry (Clint Eastwood) said more with a facial expression or the pull of a gun than he ever said verbally, in spite of the fact he uttered the phrase: "Go ahead. Make my day." It serves as the perfect example of a laconic phrase as it is short, cold and terribly to the point.
Many administrators, as well as supervisors, may give "laconic" responses to employee questions. For example, a change in company policy could be explained in the shortest terms to employees as only management is entitled to the full reason.
Laconic can also describe a person. Peter Fonda's character in the cult film "Easy Rider" is a classic laconic character who doesn't reveal many real feelings for anything. The Jack Nicholson character playing opposite Fonda's is chatty and conversational--everything a laconic person is not.
Laconic has also been used to describe the nature of the Spartans, whose territory included Laconia. The Spartans were among the most highly trained fighting forces of the ancient world. When Phillip of Macedon informed the magistrate of Sparta: "If I enter Laconia, I will level Lacedaemon to the ground" the Spartan replied "'If."