slapstick
slapstick Lexical Profile
slapstick Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to or characterized by broad, boisterous physical comedy and exaggerated horseplay.
"The director is famous for his slapstick routines involving clumsy detectives and runaway vehicles."
• noun
A style of comedy based on deliberately clumsy actions, horseplay, and humorously embarrassing physical mishaps.
"Silent film legends like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton elevated slapstick into a sophisticated cinematic art form."
A theatrical prop or percussion instrument consisting of two hinged flat wooden slats that make a loud smack when struck together.
"The percussionist used a wooden slapstick to create the sharp sound of a cracking whip during the orchestral performance."
• Rhymes for slapstick
Word Origin & Etymology
Named after a theatrical device originating in 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte (the 'batacchio'), which consisted of two hinged wooden slats that produced a loud cracking sound when used to strike another actor with minimal force.