I’ve always been curious about the origin of deadpanning (the act of delivering a humorous line with a straight face), but it never occurred to me to research it until now. The term first appeared as a compound adjective in the 1920s, gaining popularity as slang in the world of acting before spreading to wider use. While there are no definitive records of its beginnings, it’s believed that the “dead” in deadpan is synonymous with “expressionless,” while “pan” was slang for “face,” likely due to the similarity in flatness with a cooking pan. Essentially, deadpanning means maintaining a blank facial expression, which aligns perfectly with its current definition. According to Google NGrams, the use of deadpan has risen alongside its prevalence in American comedy, reaching its peak in 2017.
