Keystone Cop
Slapstick silent policeman
A Keystone Cop is an incompetent, bumbling police officer—from the Keystone Cops, a troupe of slapstick policemen in silent films who chased criminals with comic ineptitude.
The term now describes any laughably bungled law enforcement or investigation: The raid turned into a Keystone Cop operation, with officers tripping over each other.
Clumsily incompetent
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- pratfallComedic fall on buttocks
- chase sceneExtended onscreen pursuit
- pie throwingComedic face-splattering act
comedic · farce · buffoonery · gags · physical comedy · absurdity · sight gag · mayhem
Without color gradations
- intertitlesText frames in silent films
- nickelodeonCoin-fed entertainment machine
- silent eraFilmmaking before talkies
- 1910sCentury's second decade
1920s · film reel · celluloid · flicker · projector · hand-cranked · motion picture · Hollywood
Lacking skill or competence
- blunderingActing with clumsy incompetence
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
- haplessLacking good fortune
bungled · botched · ineffective · maladroit · amateurish · clueless · mismanaged · disorganized
Officer walking assigned territory
- constableLow-ranking peace officer
- officerAuthority figure in uniform
- bobbyBritish police officer
- uniformedWearing prescribed outfit
nightstick · badge · whistle · paddy wagon · squad · precinct · law enforcement · authority
Quality from past eras
- classicOf lasting excellence
- bygoneOf earlier times
- yesteryearTime not long past
- retroEvoking recent past
old-timey · antique · sepia-toned · golden age · early cinema · Americana · memorabilia · iconic
bumbling
Clumsily incompetent
- bunglingMishandling through incompetence
- pratfallComedic fall on buttocks
- chase sceneExtended onscreen pursuit
pie throwing · comedic · farce · buffoonery · gags · physical comedy · absurdity · sight gag · mayhem · pandemonium
black-and-white
Without color gradations
- intertitlesText frames in silent films
- nickelodeonCoin-fed entertainment machine
- silent eraFilmmaking before talkies
1910s · 1920s · film reel · celluloid · flicker · projector · hand-cranked · motion picture · Hollywood · short film
inept
Lacking skill or competence
- blunderingActing with clumsy incompetence
- fumblingClumsy, uncoordinated handling
- clumsyLacking physical coordination
hapless · bungled · botched · ineffective · maladroit · amateurish · clueless · mismanaged · disorganized · ham-handed
patrolman
Officer walking assigned territory
uniformed · nightstick · badge · whistle · paddy wagon · squad · precinct · law enforcement · authority · pursuit
vintage
Quality from past eras
- classicOf lasting excellence
- bygoneOf earlier times
- yesteryearTime not long past
retro · old-timey · antique · sepia-toned · golden age · early cinema · Americana · memorabilia · iconic · timeless
Keystone CopDirty Harry
Tough cop nickname
Sherlock Holmes · James Bond · Eliot Ness · supercop · Columbo
key, keys, keyed, keying, keystone, keystones, stone, stones, stoned