Danged English: pratfall

prat·fall (prăt'fôl')
n.

1. A fall on the buttocks.
2. A humiliating error, failure, or defeat: “His characters not only survive their snarled problems and pratfalls but learn from their experiences” (Joyce Carol Oates).

See example usage of pratfall in this article about the lovely Nancy Pelosi's trip to the Mid-East.

Dictionary definition of pratfall on Answers.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.