gut buster
- noun
- /ɡʌt ˈbʌstər/
- Informal
:
chiste desternillante
- That sketch was a pure gut buster, mixing slapstick timing and sharp observational jokes.
Examples
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The improv show featured a string of gut busters, and the crowd could hardly catch their breath.
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I heard a hilarious gut buster last night!
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Her tribute to the comedian ended with a gut buster that left everyone gasping with laughter.
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That comedian always tells a great gut buster.
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Her tribute to the comedian ended with a gut buster that left everyone gasping with laughter.
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The improv show featured a string of gut busters, and the crowd could hardly catch their breath.
-
That sketch was a pure gut buster, mixing slapstick timing and sharp observational jokes.
Synonyms
26
6.3
A very funny person or thing that makes people laugh
1
4.9
A very funny person or event that makes you laugh a lot
1
8.1
A very funny story or joke that makes people laugh a lot
1
3.9
A very funny person, event, or time that people enjoy
A joke or mistake that makes people laugh a lot
Antonyms
How Funny
Surface Forms
Morphology
The expression combines literal words 'gut' (intestine) and 'buster' (thing that breaks) but its meaning ('something so funny it makes you laugh uncontrollably') rests on a metaphorical extension (compare 'bust your gut'/'laugh your guts out') rather than straightforward composition. A B1 learner who knows the constituents might sense intensity from 'buster' but would not reliably infer the laughter sense without prior exposure, so the phrase is partially but not fully transparent.
Etymology
Gut buster may come from the image of laughing so hard your gut or 'belly' feels like it will burst and buster means something that breaks or bursts. That's why it now means 'an extremely funny joke or show'.