banana skin

1 2.1

The outer peel that is left after you eat a banana

noun
/bəˈnænə skɪn/

: cáscara de plátano

That's a banana skin.

Examples

She told her husband that she had slipped on a banana skin because he was a short-tempered chap.

Fiction book (2001)
A very big banana skin as far as I'm concerned.

Blog text (30)
May you slip on many a banana skin for such heresy!

Blog text (4)
Nathan glanced at the counter and saw the banana skin lying there in plain view next to the jar of peanut butter.

Fiction book (1999)
After making a smoothie, she discarded the banana skin in the compost bin.
He picked up the banana skin from the floor to prevent anyone from slipping.
The children laughed as they saw a cartoon character slipping on a banana skin.

Synonyms

skin

vsbanana skin

92 1.0

The thin outer part of a fruit or vegetable

is that covering specifically of the yellow fruit often after removal and discard

banana peel

vsbanana skin

7 1.2

The skin of a banana that is slippery and can make someone fall

is the same outer layer but thought of especially when removed and discarded

peeling

vsbanana skin

1 1.0

The outer skin that you remove from a fruit or vegetable

is the outer layer of the yellow fruit especially when removed and discarded

Surface Forms

banana skin singular

banana skins plural

Morphology

banana + skin

The meaning 'outer covering of a banana' is directly compositional from 'banana' + 'skin' and is immediately derivable by a B1 learner who knows both words. This is a common, cross-linguistically transparent noun–noun compound (and even though it can be used metaphorically in contexts like 'slip on a banana skin', the base literal sense is fully predictable).

Etymology

Banana skin names the thin skin that covers a banana; when someone drops it on the ground another person can 'slip' on it, a sight often used in comic shows. So, banana skin refers to the actual peel and to a sudden 'embarrassment' or mistake caused by such a slip.