Current theme: Creative Arts Week in association with Artis
burlesque
- 1) noun, an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it
- 2) noun, a ludicrous imitation or caricature
- 3) noun, a play of the 17th--19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event
- 4) noun, Also: burlesk theatre a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements. Slang name: burleycue
- 5) adjective, of, relating to, or characteristic of a burlesque
- 6) verb, to represent or imitate (a person or thing) in a ludicrous way; caricature
Etymology
C17: from French, from Italian burlesco, from burla a jest, piece of nonsense
Collins English Electronic Dictionary - Digital Edition: 2008 © HarperCollins Publishers 2008
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Synonyms
parody, mockery, satire, caricature, spoof (informal), travesty, satirical, comic, mock, mock, farcical, travesty, ironic, mock-heroic