high comedy
1
8.4
- noun
- /haɪ ˈkɒmədi/
- Literature
:
comedia alta
- As a result, reading The Millionairess mainly as a Fascist allegory that justifies totalitarian leadership has been privileged, perhaps at the expense of its status within the evolution of British high comedy.
- high comedy of Shaw
Then you have commercial auditions where it's really broad and high comedy, like sitcom.
- Then you have commercial auditions where it's really broad and high comedy, like sitcom.
Examples
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He has "Bonsen" writing a letter explaining why he wants to collaborate with "Crabbe"; it comes down to Bonsen needing money to decorate his house, and his plans for said project offer moments of high comedy.
Blog text (1) -
The play combines elements of high comedy with sharp social critique, leaving the audience in splits.
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The encounter is high comedy but full of terror for all of them.
Fiction book (1993) -
Then you have commercial auditions where it's really broad and high comedy, like sitcom.
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Then you have commercial auditions where it's really broad and high comedy, like sitcom.
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Shaw's high comedy transposes Coward's distinctive camp idiom into a Shavian key to produce a "post-Coward" Shaw.
Academic text (2017) -
Many classic works of literature are known for their use of high comedy to satirize the upper class.
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The festival showcased a variety of performances, but the highlight was the high comedy that had everyone laughing.
Antonyms
How Sophisticated
- Literature
1
8.4
- NSFW
1
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'comedy characterized by wit and social sophistication' is directly derivable from combining 'high' (elevated, refined) with 'comedy' (a humorous genre); the adjective+noun composition transparently signals a more elevated or refined type of comedy. This evaluative use of 'high' is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words is likely to infer the MWE's sense.
Etymology
High comedy comes from old theater critics who put high jokes above low jokes: high meant 'clever' and for the 'upper class', while low meant rough, physical jokes. So high comedy means smart, elegant humor that often makes fun of polite society.