burlesque

[ber-lesk]

noun

1. an artistic composition, especially literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.

   Synonyms: farce, lampoon, satire

2. any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature.

3. Also burlesk a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus.

adjective

1. involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject.

2. of, relating to, or like stage-show burlesque.

verb (used with object)

burlesqued, burlesquing 

1. to make ridiculous by mocking representation.

verb (used without object)

burlesqued, burlesquing 

1. to use caricature.

burlesque

/ bɜːˈlɛsk /

noun

1. an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it

2. a ludicrous imitation or caricature

3. a play of the 17th–19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event

4. Also: burlesk. Slang name: burleycue. theatre a bawdy comedy show of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the striptease eventually became one of its chief elements

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a burlesque

verb

1. to represent or imitate (a person or thing) in a ludicrous way; caricature

Other Word Forms

• burlesquely adverb
• burlesquer noun
• preburlesque adjective
• unburlesqued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of burlesque¹

1650–60; < French < Italian burlesco, equivalent to burl ( a ) jest (perhaps < Spanish; burladero ) + -esco -esque

Word History and Origins

Origin of burlesque¹

C17: from French, from Italian burlesco , from burla a jest, piece of nonsense

Synonym Study

Burlesque, caricature, parody, travesty refer to the literary or dramatic forms that imitate serious works or subjects to achieve a humorous or satiric purpose. The characteristic device of burlesque is mockery of both high and low through association with their opposites: a burlesque of high and low life. Caricature, usually associated with visual arts or with visual effects in literary works, implies exaggeration of characteristic details: The caricature emphasized his nose. Parody achieves its humor through application of the manner or technique, usually of a well-known writer, to unaccustomed subjects: a parody by Swift. Travesty implies a grotesque form of burlesque: characters so changed as to produce a travesty.

Example Sentences

The queens cut their teeth performing in bars, burlesque theaters, punk venues and even a circus, where they learned to entertain by pulling together subversive and mainstream references.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He had recruited her for “Zero Hour,” he explained, because he thought her “gin-fog” voice would help create a “complete burlesque” of a propaganda show.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At last, the narrative style breaks out of burlesque into something worthy of a celebrated contemporary author.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Along the way, we get some classics, like the image of a burlesque dancer "glowing like the end of a cigarette"; or comparing a critic's barbs to "a toy chihuahua barking from a tiny purse".

Read more on BBC

There’s another old aphorism about wealth, credited to the burlesque star and actress, Sophie Tucker.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• farce 
• spoof 
• travesty