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banana skin

British  

noun

  1. the soft outer covering of a banana

  2. informal something unforeseen that causes an obvious and embarrassing mistake

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of banana skin

sense 2 from the common slapstick joke of a person slipping after treading on a banana skin


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

So, with Rodri missing, on top of Chelsea's youth, energy and especially the fact they were playing at Stamford Bridge, I did think this game could be a banana skin for them.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2024

For example, the plants glowed much more strongly when a ripe banana skin was nearby.

From NewsForKids.net ● Jan. 19, 2024

Strawberry syrup and banana skin preserved in gesso offer bright, sticky-sweet contrast in some shadows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2023

I make Eubank a chunky favourite but it's definitely a banana skin.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2023

And he became as pale as a dried banana skin.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

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