slapstick

[ slap-stik ]

/ ˈslæpˌstɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slapstick ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

adjective

using, or marked by the use of, broad farce and horseplay: a slapstick motion picture.

RELATED WORDS

funny, comedy, absurd, farce

Nearby words

Origin of slapstick

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; slap¹ + stick¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slapstick

Asian 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|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Mayall, who was married with three children, was famed for his slapstick routines.
British Comedian Rik Mayall, 56, Dies Suddenly|Tom Sykes|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Like any form of slapstick, its greatest burden is its obviousness.
Obama Loses His Cool|Stanley Crouch|June 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Correction: This article initially misidentified Slap Shot as Slapstick.
Hockey Hunks Conquer Hollywood!|Peter Lauria|June 1, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Don Marquis recognizes as well as any one the value of the slapstick as a mirth-provoking instrument.
Shandygaff|Christopher Morley
Sloppy sentimentality and slapstick farce ought to bore us frightfully, especially if we have any sense of humor.
The Best Short Stories of 1920|Various
It frequently happens that a comedian will get after a writer with a stuffed club or a slapstick.
The Fiction Factory|John Milton Edwards
He 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 Lindsay
There was a moment when the slapstick comedy grazed red tragedy.
The Fighting Edge|William MacLeod Raine

British Dictionary definitions for slapstick

slapstick

/ (ˈslæpˌstɪk) /

noun

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

Word Origin and History for slapstick

slapstick

also slap-stick, originally (1896) a device consisting of two sticks fastened together so as to slap loudly when a clown or actor hits somebody with it, or to make a sound-effect offstage; from slap and stick (n.). As an adjective by 1906. Meaning "farcical physical comedy, horseplay" (1916) is short for slapstick comedy or humor.