banana skin
Britishnoun
-
the soft outer covering of a banana
-
informal something unforeseen that causes an obvious and embarrassing mistake
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.
Every game is a banana skin if you don't approach it in the right way - if you either relax or allow the pressure to overcome you.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
What we learned: Boulter came through a tough first-round draw against ninth seed Paula Badosa, but faced a banana skin next in Sierra.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2025
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
And he became as pale as a dried banana skin.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
