deadpan

• dead-pan, dead pan

dead +‎ pan (“face”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛdpæn/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

deadpan (comparative more deadpan, superlative most deadpan)

1. Deliberately impassive or expressionless.

   a deadpan face or look

   deadpan behaviour or speech

2. Having such a face or look.

   The comedian remained deadpan.

• poker-faced

deadpan (comparative more deadpan, superlative most deadpan)

1. In a deadpan manner.
   • 2004, Steven Greenhut, Abuse of Power: How the Government Misuses Eminent Domain‎, page 46:

     A city-hired consultant from a firm called Urban Futures was booed repeatedly by the agitated homeowners as he talked deadpan, in bureaucratese, about his firm's "evidentiary record" pointing to blight in the neighborhood.

deadpan (uncountable)

1. A style of comedic delivery in which something humorous is said or done while not exhibiting a change in emotion or facial expression.
   • 2007, Meredith Gran, Octopus Pie #71: Deadpan‎:

     MAREK: But really the deadpan is key. You can essentially trick people into laughing at nothing.

• deadpan comedy
• deadpan humour

deadpan (third-person singular simple present deadpans, present participle deadpanning, simple past and past participle deadpanned)

1. To express (oneself) in an impassive or expressionless manner.
   • 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 496:

     Kidd deadpanned it, stared glassily back at Maitland.

• pedanda