You know when someone messes something up or does something stupid and all eyes are on them, so they try to defuse the tension by being funny (which usually backfires and makes people even more angry). I need a word to refer to that situation.
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2The word flippant springs to mind.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flippant – Blaise Zydeco Nov 6 '17 at 22:26
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Tactless, insensitive, impolitic, gauche – Jim Nov 6 '17 at 23:28
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A clown? Playing the fool? – Steve Bennett Nov 7 '17 at 12:17
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@BlaiseZydeco - Could you add it as an answer? – Adam Dec 19 '20 at 23:56
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Flattered that you asked. Certainly. – Blaise Zydeco Dec 21 '20 at 2:56
This is a tall order: none of the words here really conveys the idea that somebody is trying to defuse a tense situation -- only that somebody is making light of serious.
A word not yet appearing among the answers is flippant. The criticism above applies equally to this word, but at least it carries the idea that the audience is getting annoyed by the defuser.
A person who makes light of a serious situation is called "facetious"
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2Welcome to EL&U. If you look at the other answers you will see that lengthy answers are preferred with citations to verify facts. – Nigel J Nov 7 '17 at 2:00
