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sight gag

American  

noun

  1. a comic effect produced by visual means rather than by spoken lines, as in a play or motion picture.


Etymology

Origin of sight gag

First recorded in 1945–50

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:

Romance, irony and sight gag arrive together, balanced in a single beat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

But the sight gag nature of the characterization is overworked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

There is also an inspired sight gag involving the development of the Julia Child severing her arm sketch that the show later made famous.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2024

Not to be forgotten: associate music director and pianist Riley Brule, who transcends the role of accompanist with a few choice interjections and a sight gag involving a pair of moose antlers.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2023

Pablo Larraín’s black-and-white horror spoof “El Conde” is founded on a ferocious sight gag: the former dictator Augusto Pinochet soaring into the night on a quest for human blood.

From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

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