ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: corn ball “ball of popped corn and molasses” (influenced in meaning by corn (I) “something corny” & screwball, meatball )
slang : an unsophisticated person : rube , hick ; also : something corny
such cornball phrasing as “on the boards” — Walter Kerr