pratfall
[
prat
-fawl]
/ˈprætˌfɔl/
noun
1.
a
fall
in which one lands on the buttocks, often regarded as comical or humiliating.
2.
a humiliating blunder or defeat.
Origin
1935-40;
prat
+
fall
Examples from the web for
pratfall
She's not above taking the occasional comedic
pratfall
.
Despite steady advances in hardware, no machine could think as far as to laugh at a
pratfall
or make a bad pun.
When you've seen one
pratfall
, however, you've seen almost all of them.
There's not a gold tooth here that isn't lingered on lovingly, and not a
pratfall
that its characters won't take.
They have never called attention to themselves so demandingly, only to
pratfall
so comically.
In one violent gesture, the
pratfall
condensed the culture's dynamism and panic.
Faith without doubt leads to moral arrogance, the eternal
pratfall
of the religiously convinced.
That's a pretty expensive
pratfall
, although museum authorities say the painting can be repaired.
British Dictionary definitions for
pratfall
pratfall
/
ˈprætˌfɔːl
/
noun
1.
(
US & Canadian
,
slang
) a fall upon one's buttocks
Word Origin
C20: from C16
prat
buttocks (of unknown origin) +
fall
Word Origin and History for
pratfall
n.
1939, from
prat
"buttock" +
fall
(n.). "Chiefly
N. Amer. slang
" [OED]. As a verb from 1940.
Slang definitions & phrases for
pratfall
pratfall
noun
A fall on one's rump, esp by a clown or comedian
: a perfect pratfall
(1939+)
A humiliating defeat; an embarrassing humiliation
: the principles and pratfalls of the rhyming racket
(1950+ fr theater)