pratfall
Say it: PRAT-fawl /ˈpratfɔːl/ · noun
What “pratfall” means
A funny fall that lands you on your bottom.
More precisely: A comic fall onto your bottom; or a humiliating blunder.
When to use it
Use it for a slapstick fall in comedy or a story, especially one that looks embarrassing rather than painful.
Memory trick
Prat is old slang for buttocks: a pratfall lands you on your bottom.
It can also mean
It can also mean an embarrassing mistake that makes someone look foolish.
Similar words
tumble, blunder, gaffe
Where it comes from
From prat, old slang for 'buttocks', + fall.
Quick check
A clown slips, lands squarely on his bottom and springs up unharmed while everyone laughs. What was that?
a pratfall or a somersault?
Show the answer
a pratfall
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