Punch-and-Judy show

[ puhnch-uhn-joo-dee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a puppet show having a conventional plot consisting chiefly of slapstick humor and the tragicomic misadventures of the grotesque, hook-nosed, humpback buffoon Punch and his wife Judy.

First recorded in 1875–80

She was watching the visitor as if she were a passing Punch-and-Judy show come in to play for a moment for her entertainment.

Altogether the scene was more like a Punch-and-Judy show, than any part of the serious business of life.

The lady, as it happened, had seen them at the fair, and had wondered then to see them in company with a Punch-and-Judy show.

The Punch-and-Judy show grew tiresome, but the company seemed better than none.

After much inquiry he had discovered they had been seen with a Punch-and-Judy show and now he was trying to find the showmen.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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