Punch-and-Judy show

[ puhnch-uhn-joo-dee ]

noun

1. a puppet show having a conventional plot consisting chiefly of slapstick humor and the tragicomic misadventures of the grotesque, hook-nosed, humpback buffoon Punch and his wife Judy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Punch-and-Judy show¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

They are also delineated by ornate chapter headings, one of a few structuring devices — a Punch and Judy show is another — that can feel both immersive and distancing: classical touches infused with an arch modern playfulness.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, this political Punch and Judy show has grown tiresome.

From Washington Times

I don’t mean to cast aspersions on any other way that anybody else approaches cable TV news, but I have been in one of those chairs set up for a right-versus-left “Punch and Judy” show where, you know, everybody’s hoping for zingers, and the kinetic activity is the apex of what you’re aiming at.

From Washington Post

We don't need a "Punch and Judy" show between Trump and Biden.

From Salon

The European parliament Brexit debate is a bit of a Punch and Judy show.

From The Guardian

Related Words

• puppetry