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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
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
And almost everything the Saturday Night crowd did—satire, sketch humor, recurring characters, pratfalls, topical stuff, transgressive behavior, musical interludes, whatever—had been done often, and sometimes better, by someone who came before.
—Michael Cieply, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pratfall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Pratfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pratfall. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
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pratfall
noun
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