“Slapstick” comedy is named after an actual “slapstick”: two pieces of wood that made a huge crack when a stage performer pretended to hit someone. The prop simulated a brutal blow, and eventually lent its name to the entire noisy style of comedy. The story continues in the slides. #words #vocabulary
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KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS WORD: slapstick. Meaning: Boisterous comedy built around chases, collisions, and practical jokes.
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THE STORY: Where it started. A slapstick was a theatrical clapper made from two wooden slats joined at one end. When used in a staged blow, the pieces struck one another and produced a conspicuously loud crack, magnifying the sound of the action.
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NEXT: What changed. The prop belonged to traditions of broad physical comedy, including commedia dell'arte and later pantomime. By the early twentieth century, English was using its name for the whole comic style of exaggerated blows, falls, chases, and physical gags.
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NOW: Why it matters. Slapstick comedy is named after an actual slapstick: two pieces of wood that made a huge crack when a stage performer pretended to hit someone. The prop simulated a brutal blow, and eventually lent its name to the entire noisy style of comedy.
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YOUR TURN: What about you?. Which screen sound effect is the modern heir to the slapstick?