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Glite Dictionary
perfect rimshot

perfect rimshot

7.1
A sharp drum hit timed to make a joke sound funnier
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : rimshot perfecto
  • The comedian delivered the punchline, and the drummer played a perfect rimshot to heighten the laughter.

Examples

  • That sketch would have fallen flat without the perfect rimshot at the end.

  • Every time she told a joke, she hoped for a perfect rimshot from the band.

  • The comedian delivered a joke with a perfect rimshot.

  • Did you hear that perfect rimshot after his punchline?

  • The comedian told a clever joke, and the drummer added a perfect rimshot that made everyone laugh.

  • During the performance, the audience erupted in laughter after the perfect rimshot emphasized the punchline.

  • A well-timed perfect rimshot followed the joke, highlighting the humor and capturing the audience's attention.

Synonyms

ba-dum ching
vsperfect rimshot
  • Informal
9.9

A short musical drum sound played after a joke to show it is funny

is a precisely timed sharp drum hit used to emphasize the punchline

Surface Forms

perfect rimshot singular
perfect rimshots plural

Morphology

perfect + rimshot

The adjective 'perfect' is fully transparent, and 'rimshot' can be partly decomposed into 'rim' (edge) + 'shot' (a strike), so a learner who knew those parts could plausibly infer a percussive hit on the rim of a drum. However, the conventionalized pragmatic function — the precisely timed punctuation of a joke’s punchline and the specific sonic quality — is not fully predictable from the constituents, so the overall phrase is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The noun perfect rimshot comes from the image of a drummer hitting the drum's rim with a quick shot to make a sharp sound just after a joke. When that sound lands right on time it makes the 'punchline' stand out and feel funnier.