slapstick
broad comedy characterized by boisterous action, as the throwing of pies in actors' faces, mugging, and obvious farcical situations and jokes.
a stick or lath used by harlequins, clowns, etc., as in pantomime, for striking other performers, especially a combination of laths that make a loud, clapping noise without hurting the person struck.
using, or marked by the use of, broad farce and horseplay: a slapstick motion picture.
Origin of slapstick
1Words Nearby slapstick
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use slapstick in a sentence
In a game that included two fumbled kickoff returns by Alabama and a slapstick 66-yard touchdown pass by Rebels QB Chad Kelly, a late Tide comeback wasn’t enough to avoid an eventual 43-37 defeat.
Should Alabama Be Worried That It Almost Lost To Texas? | Josh Planos | September 13, 2022 | FiveThirtyEightWhile critics initially panned the movie for its raunchy slapstick and reliance on tropes like the ditzy blonde, it’s imbued with a deeply-felt warmth, thanks to Faris’ criminally under-recognized talents.
From slapstick to satire to memes, it can be a balm, a moment of catharsis to punctuate the often-cruel and random nature of life, reminding us of our common humanity.
Padma Lakshmi says disparaging Indian food isn’t funny. It’s ugly. | Padma Lakshmi | August 25, 2021 | Washington PostWho would picture Wu-Tang doing slapstick comedy in primetime on Fox?
Method Man Talks Wu-Tang Clan Reunion, Fake Rappers, and the Suge Knight Shooting | Marlow Stern | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAsian slapstick humor does not translate well, and most of the captive audience agreed, although they grudgingly watched it.
Prisoners Get Cultural Fix with 8-Tracks and Bootleg Cassettes | Daniel Genis | August 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Mr. Mayall, who was married with three children, was famed for his slapstick routines.
A botched center-right leadership election on Nov. 18 verged on slapstick.
France’s Petty Politics Brings Christmas Early to Scandal Lovers | Tracy McNicoll | December 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTRaimi is the king of the sustained slapstick horror sequence.
Don Marquis recognizes as well as any one the value of the slapstick as a mirth-provoking instrument.
Shandygaff | Christopher MorleyThere was a moment when the slapstick comedy grazed red tragedy.
The Fighting Edge | William MacLeod RaineHe is the comedian most often proclaimed an artist by the fastidious, and most often forgiven for his slapstick.
The Art Of The Moving Picture | Vachel LindsayHer enthusiasm for the slapstick artist provoked him, but at the same time that gay laughter tickled his ears pleasantly.
The Purple Heights | Marie Conway OemlerEven this thing of Baird's, with all the saving slapstick, is over the heads of a good half of them.
Merton of the Movies | Harry Leon Wilson
British Dictionary definitions for slapstick
/ (ˈslæpˌstɪk) /
comedy characterized by horseplay and physical action
(as modifier): slapstick humour
a flexible pair of paddles bound together at one end, formerly used in pantomime to strike a blow to a person with a loud clapping sound but without injury
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
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