Link Centre Dictionary

slapstick

slaps·tick

US/ˈslæˌpstɪk/ uncommon
noun (2) adjective (1)

noun

1.

a boisterous comedy with chases and collisions and practical jokes

2.

acoustic device consisting of two paddles hinged together; used by an actor to make a loud noise without inflicting injury when striking someone

adjective

1.

characterized by horseplay and physical action

  • “slapstick style of humor”
Similar

Origin

From slap + stick, calque of Italian batacchio. The pair of sticks was used by the comic character Harlequin in the commedia dell'arte.

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.