buffoonery

American  

[buh-foo-nuh-ree] / bəˈfu nə ri /

noun

1. amusement by means of usually physical or visual tricks, jokes, etc..

   The play swings from absurd buffoonery to high tragedy, with kinetic physicality, silliness, swords, and live music.

2. coarse or undignified joking.

   The managers perceived my buffoonery as a barely concealed way of calling them pretentious—and they weren’t altogether wrong.

3. silly, foolish, or unseemly behavior.

   It’s hard to top the current governor's race if you like your politics laced with outrageous buffoonery.

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Etymology

Origin of buffoonery

buffoon ( def. ) + -ery ( def. )

Explanation

If someone tells you to cut out the buffoonery, you may want to consider taking the French fries out of your nostrils. Buffoonery means acting like a clown. Notice how buffoon sounds like puff? Well, they're related. Buffare is an Italian word meaning "puff out the cheeks," which is apparently something that Italian court jesters, or buffoons, liked to do in the 1700s. Guess you had to be there.

Related Words

• caricature
• contempt
• derision
• disdain
• jeer
• laughter
• mockery
• parody
• sarcasm
• satire
• scorn
• taunt
• taunting