blooper
noun
Blooper — a comic, often filmed mistake that becomes a source of laughter
Definition
An embarrassing mistake
In depth
A blooper is an embarrassing mistake, but the word carries a distinctly lighthearted, comic connotation, particularly associated with filmed or recorded errors, such as an actor flubbing a line or a broadcaster misspeaking on air. Far from purely humiliating, a blooper is often embraced as genuinely funny, frequently compiled and shared specifically for entertainment.
Origin
The word's exact origin is debated, possibly related to baseball slang for a weakly hit ball that nonetheless falls safely for a hit, or to an older sense of 'bloop' as an awkward, embarrassing sound. Its association with filmed entertainment developed alongside the rise of television and film production, where outtakes became a recognized and beloved genre of their own.
Usage examples
"The blooper reel, played at the wrap party, had the entire cast laughing harder than any scene in the finished film."
"Her on-air blooper went viral within hours, viewed by millions who found it more endearing than embarrassing."
"Every production seems to generate at least one memorable blooper, the kind cast and crew still laugh about years later."
How to use it
Blooper is informal, lighthearted vocabulary almost exclusively associated with entertainment, broadcasting, and filmed performance, particularly common in writing about behind-the-scenes content, where such mistakes are treated as entertaining rather than genuinely damaging.
Related concepts
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