slapstick

[ slap-stik ]

noun

1. broad comedy characterized by boisterous action, as the throwing of pies in actors' faces, mugging, and obvious farcical situations and jokes.
2. a stick or lath used by harlequins, clowns, etc., as in pantomime, for striking other performers, especially a combination of laths that make a loud, clapping noise without hurting the person struck.

adjective

1. using, or marked by the use of, broad farce and horseplay:

   a slapstick motion picture.

slapstick

/ ˈslæpˌstɪk /

noun

1. 1. comedy characterized by horseplay and physical action
   2. ( as modifier )

      slapstick humour

2. a flexible pair of paddles bound together at one end, formerly used in pantomime to strike a blow to a person with a loud clapping sound but without injury

Word History and Origins

Origin of slapstick¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; slap ¹ + stick ¹

Example Sentences

Even a black-and-white, near-silent slapstick comedy about a 19th century trapper battling beavers.

From Los Angeles Times

And the “memoir” we’re invited to observe is a wounding one, rife with heartbreak and trauma — but also, as it turns out, raunchy humor and slapstick pratfalls, literate puns and winking sight gags.

From Los Angeles Times

When Baker dives into the repercussions, “Anora” slows down and transforms from a slapstick farce to a true character study, and it’s then when the film shines its brightest.

From Salon

The show, which has something of the air of an extended indie film, is a spectrum of styles, from slapstick to straight drama, with person-on-the-street interviews introducing each episode.

From Los Angeles Times

“That meant … drama, jokes, tension and slapstick. I really didn’t model the clothes so much as perform them.”

From Los Angeles Times