burlesque (bɜːˈlɛsk
)
Definitions
noun
- an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it
- a ludicrous imitation or caricature
- a play of the 17th–19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event
- Also
burlesk US Canadian theatre a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements Slang nameburleycue
adjective
- of, relating to, or characteristic of a burlesque
verb
- to represent or imitate (a person or thing) in a ludicrous way; caricature
Alternative Forms
burˈlesquer nounWord Origin
C17: from French, from Italian burlesco , from burla a jest, piece of nonsenseSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
satirical,
comic,
mocking,
mock,
farcical,
travestying,
ironical,
parodic,
mock-heroic,
caricatural,
hudibrastic,
=
satirize,
take off,
mock,
exaggerate,
ridicule,
imitate,
ape,
parody,
caricature,
send up,
spoof,
make fun of,
travesty,
lampoon,
take the piss out of make a monkey out of
Usage examples
She wore a silver sequinned costume, a large pink boa around her neck, throwbacks to the burlesque era.
, Doubting Thomas (1986)Pericles Alexander Pantages gave up gold digging for part ownership of a saloon staging vaudeville and burlesque shows.
Globe and Mail (2003)It's only recently that burlesque has come out into the open.
Times, Sunday Times (2004)He described Rossa's attempts `to scare and scatter an empire with common blasting powder' as a ` burlesque '.
, FENIAN FIRE: The British Government Plot to Assassinate Queen Victoria (2002)