pantaloon
1
9.9
A foolish old man character often tricked in comic plays
- noun
- /ˌpæn.təˈluːn/
- Archaic
:
pantalón
- In the play, the actor portrayed the pantaloon with hilarious antics that amused the audience.
Examples
-
Instead, he played the pantaloon with infants.
Fiction book (1991) -
Sybil began back in season 1 when she wore that pantaloon outfit to dinner.
Blog text (23) -
The comical pantaloon in the performance tripped over his own feet, causing the crowd to burst into laughter.
-
Everyone loved the pantaloon character for his silly comments and forgetful nature during the show.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A funny puppet or person who acts silly to make people laugh
is the specific commedia or pantomime elderly figure rather than a general clown
9.9
An old foolish man in Italian comic theatre who is greedy with money and makes people laugh
is the same comic elderly role but not specifically defined by stinginess
Surface Forms
pantaloon singular
pantaloons plural
Etymology
Pantaloon comes from the Italian stage name Pantalone, a rich old man from Venice who was always played as foolish and funny. So today a pantaloon means a comical old man who can be both funny and a little sad.