slapstick
nounEtymology From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.
1
Comedy, Entertainment, Lifestyle A style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.
2
A pair of sticks attached at one end and used to create a slapping sound effect, used especially in slapstick comedy; a type of clapper.
- Synonyms
- physical comedy
- Derived terms
- slapsticker, slapstickery, slapstickish, slapsticky, splatstick