banana peel
7
1.2
- noun
- /bəˈnænə pil/
:
cáscara de plátano
- In many cartoons, slipping on a banana peel leads to a funny fall.
- slipping on a banana peel
- falling on a banana peel
- step on a banana peel
Next thing is with using things like banana peels and egg shells.
- Next thing is with using things like banana peels and egg shells.
- So we're talking like food, actual organic food waste, banana peels, egg shells are the two things Lando told me.
Examples
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We laugh when it's the boss or the debutante who slipped on a banana peel, not Tiny Tim.
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The man's got one foot on a banana peel, the other on a roller skate.
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This is an actual banana peel on the floor.
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These two slipped on a banana peel.
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I slipped on a banana peel.
-
He slipped on a banana peel.
Fiction book (2002) -
And your buddy's walking down the corridor and you see your buddy slip on a banana peel and fall.
-
Robert is clearing away paper cups, banana peels, paper bags, and photography equipment.
Fiction book (1995) -
Shana tossed the banana peel under the sink in the trash can and picked up a sponge and began cleaning the counter.
Fiction book (1993) -
I'm going to make my own compost with banana peels and pears; I'll add some potato eyes and peels and tiny little hairs.
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
72
1.0
The outer skin of a fruit or vegetable that you usually remove before eating
1
2.1
The outer peel that is left after you eat a banana
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the skin of a banana' is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents 'banana' + 'peel' and follows standard noun-noun compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer the referent. Any extra pragmatic association (slipperiness/joke use) is a cultural extension but does not prevent the basic, transparent compositional meaning.
Etymology
Banana peel comes from the real, slippery banana peel. In cartoons and old comedy people step on a dropped peel and fall, so the image became a way to talk about a 'slippery hazard' or a 'funny fall'.