Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A fall on the buttocks.
- n. A humiliating error, failure, or defeat: "His characters not only survive their snarled problems and pratfalls but learn from their experiences” ( Joyce Carol Oates).
Wiktionary
- n. A fall onto the buttocks.
- n. A humiliating mistake.
- n. A staged trip or fall, often for comedic purposes.
- v. To fall on to the buttocks.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a fall onto your buttocks
- n. an embarrassing mistake
Examples
“True that, somehow, a pratfall is always funnier than a straight walk, even on a high wire.”
“Or consider what psychologists call the "pratfall effect": Attractive people, it turns out, become more attractive if they commit a blunder.”
“If you can’t tell a joke without yelling into the mic or making some kind of pratfall, then I suggest you invest your money well, you’ll need it very soon and for a long time. —”
Can Anyone Explain Dane Cook to Me? - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com
“Comity takes another pratfall at the Kirkland household with this compelling argument”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Why Recalls of U.S. Senators Are Unconstitutional
“Moneyrunner: Comity takes another pratfall at the Kirkland household with this compelling argumentArthur then makes the case for partisan posturing rather than principle.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Why Recalls of U.S. Senators Are Unconstitutional
“No 'whatever happened to Spangles' routine – just pratfall after pratfall.”
The Guardian: Wigan Athletic Premier League 2011-12 team guide
“It waits for somebody like you to pratfall and then it jumps.”
The Guardian: Tina Brown left looking for new print partner as Newsweek-Daily Beast talks collapse
“There was more to the joke than just the pratfall or its equivalent.”
The Huffington Post: Marshall Fine: HuffPost Review: Due Date
“Not because he's just a dog but because he's the only character in the film who knows how to do a pratfall and that trick is no small feat by any means.”
The Huffington Post: Nancy Chuda: The Artist: A Review With an Extra Big Shout Out to Uggy
“A good pratfall is what turned the silent screen into an audience's roar.”
The Huffington Post: Nancy Chuda: The Artist: A Review With an Extra Big Shout Out to Uggy
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘pratfall’.
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Something is wrong here
Spelling mistakes and other verbal blunders
abolishment, aerobic numbers, affidavid, all of the sudden, alphabeticalize, anticlimatic, anchors away, arm's way, artical, ashfault, assumably, baited breath and 176 more...
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My Little Phonies
Names for the next generation of My Little Ponies. Inspired by Star's list.
juggernaught, flamboyant, cuddly maggot, astrobleme, agroof, windburn, poshlost, crucifer, feedbag, dunderwhelp, nebelwerfer, bliss ninny and 445 more...
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Dean Koontz Life Expectancy
Words I'm learning or investigating that I found by reading Life Expectancy (not all words are in the book).
chutzpah, luminous, torchieres, dunderheaded, inane, lummox, fox-trot, rumba, cha-cha, tango, swing, flub and 37 more...
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Things that fall
words that end in fall
befall, deadfall, dew-fall, dewfall, downfall, evenfall, foot-fall, footfall, free-fall, freefall, icefall, infall and 18 more...
myth Adding to who knew Apr 12, 2009
oroboros Literally: a fall on your ass. Jan 9, 2007