pratfall

noun

prat·fall ˈprat-ˌfȯl

Synonyms of pratfall next

: a fall on the buttocks

: a humiliating mishap or blunder

Did you know?

The human posterior has been given a number of designations over the centuries, some not acceptable in polite company. "Prat," a slang term with only slightly indecorous overtones, has been used in reference to the backside since the 16th century. It wasn't until the 1930s, however, that falling on one's prat gave rise to the term "pratfall." The word first cropped up in the lingo of comedy theater, where a pratfall is often part of a slapstick routine. It wasn't long before we gave the word its extended sense of "blunder." Now, with "prat" rarely used as a synonym of "derriere" anymore, "pratfall" is as apt to suggest getting a pie in the face as landing bang on one's behind.

Examples of pratfall in a Sentence

He slipped and took a pratfall into the mud.

Recent Examples on the Web

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The animation is solid and the little ones will indeed relish the loud antics and the pratfalls while older ones in the crowd might well groan about the overuse of puns. —

Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024 Something that tonight’s cold open heated up with, drawing from the actual interview transcript on both the FNC pratfall and Baier’s questioning of Joe Biden’s mental faculties. —

Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2024 The comedian with a penchant for pratfalls also did a popular impression of a clumsy President Gerald Ford and played the Landshark. —

EW.com, 5 Oct. 2024 The tone becomes slapstick on a near operatic scale — no scene complete without a pratfall, no pratfall accented without the loudest sound effect possible. —

Ben Croll, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pratfall