slapstick
Meanings
noun
- A style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.
- A pair of sticks attached at one end and used to create a slapping sound effect, used especially in slapstick comedy; a type of clapper.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.
Synonyms
Derived words
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