charade

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance

   The negotiations were a mere charade to delay the process.

2. 2
   noun

   a game in which players guess a word or phrase from a pantomimed clue

   We played charades at the party, acting out movie titles.

From French charade (18th c., 'a kind of riddle or word puzzle'), adopted into English as 'a word game' and, by extension, 'a pretense'.

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