what is slapstick?

[pioneer]

slapstick  Click to hear this word spoken
slap·stick [sláp stìk]
noun
boisterous comedy: comedy with the emphasis on fast physical action, farcical situations, and obvious jokes that do not depend on language (often used before a noun)
slapstick comedy

[Early 20th century. < slapstick, a device made of two flat linked pieces of wood, formerly used in comic performances to simulate the sound of a blow]