Definition

Noun: A form of comedy that relies on physical humor, slapstick, farce, and often boisterous or vulgar situations to provoke laughter. It emphasizes exaggerated actions, visual gags, and simple, direct humor over sophisticated wit or intellectual satire.

Usage

Low comedy is used to describe a specific genre or style within comedic performance, including theater, film, and television. It contrasts with "high comedy," which focuses on verbal wit and social satire. - It is often used as an uncountable noun to describe the genre: The film is pure low comedy. - It can be used as a countable noun when referring to specific works: The play is one of his most famous low comedies.

Examples

• The Three Stooges specialized in low comedy, with their pie-throwing and eye-poking routines.
• The movie relies heavily on low comedy, featuring characters slipping on banana peels and getting hit in the face with doors.
• While Shakespeare wrote sophisticated romances, he also included elements of low comedy through his clowns and drunkards.

Advanced Usage

• As a descriptive term: The term can be used descriptively to critique a work's humor style.
• In contrast to high comedy: Often discussed in tandem with its counterpart.

Variants and Related Words

• Slapstick (n.): A style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity and violence, which is a primary component of low comedy.
• Farce (n.): A comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay, typically involving improbable situations; a key subtype of low comedy.
• Burlesque (n.): A literary, dramatic, or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

Synonyms

• Slapstick comedy
• Physical comedy
• Broad comedy
• Farce

Antonyms

• High comedy
• Satire
• Comedy of manners
• Witty comedy

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Pie-in-the-face humor: A classic example of low comedy, referring specifically to the slapstick gag of throwing a pie into someone's face.
• Slapstick and pratfalls: A phrase often used to encapsulate the essential tools of low comedy, referring to physical comedy and falls.

Noun

1. a comedy characterized by slapstick and burlesque