pratfall

pratfall

1. slang A fall on one's buttocks, especially as an element of a comedy routine. "Prat" is a slang term for the buttocks. It's striving to be like the vaudeville acts of yesteryear, so expect plenty of corny jokes, pies in faces, and pratfalls from beginning to end.

2. slang By extension, any error, mistake, failure, etc., especially one that is humiliating in some way. Despite the many pratfalls in her election campaign, she still managed to pull ahead at the last moment and secure a victory. This is just the latest in a series of pratfalls that have served to undermine the company's credibility.

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

pratfall

n. a fall on the buttocks; a fall on the buttocks done as part of a comedy act. If you want to be in musical comedy, you should learn to take a pratfall.

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.