burlesque

bur•lesque

[[t]bərˈlɛsk[/t]] n. adj. v. -lesqued, -lesquing

1) lit. a comic literary or dramatic piece that vulgarizes lofty material or elevates the ordinary

2) any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature

3) sbz a stage show featuring comic, usu. bawdy skits and striptease acts

4) involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject

5) sbz of, pertaining to, or like stage-show burlesque

6) to make ridiculous by mocking representation

7) to use burlesque or caricature

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Etymology: 1650–60; < F < It burlesco, der. of burl(a) jest syn: burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty refer to literary or dramatic forms that imitate works or subjects to achieve a humorous or satiric purpose. The characteristic device of burlesque is mockery of serious or trivial subjects through association with their opposites: a burlesque of high and low life. caricature, usu. associated with visual arts or with visual effects in literary works, implies exaggeration of characteristic details: The caricature emphasized his large nose. parody achieves its humor through application of the style or technique of a well-known work or author to unaccustomed subjects: a parody of Hemingway. travesty takes a serious subject and uses a style or language that seems incongruous or absurd: a travesty of a senator making a speech.