slapstick
noun
Forms slapsticks slap-stick
- noun (uncountable, comedy) A style of humor focusing on physical comedy, such as slipping on a banana peel, and with foolish characters who get into humiliating situations.
- noun (countable) 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
Etymology
From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “slapstick”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details