harlequinade

[ hahr-luh-kwi-neyd, -ki- ]

/ ˌhɑr lə kwɪˈneɪd, -kɪ- /

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noun

a pantomime, farce, or similar play in which Harlequin plays the principal part.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of harlequinade

From the French word arlequinade, dating back to 1770–80. See harlequin, -ade¹

Words nearby harlequinade

Harleian Library, Harlem, Harlemite, Harlem Renaissance, harlequin, harlequinade, harlequin bug, harlequin duck, harlequinesque, harlequin opal, harlequin table

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use harlequinade in a sentence

The curtain rises on a stage set for a Harlequinade, a merry black and white interior.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays|Various
One needs no civilised culture to appreciate the fun of the harlequinade, and to that has Charlie, with true instinct, returned.
Adventures and Enthusiasms|E. V. Lucas
But it is the harlequinade accelerated, intensified, toned up for the exacting taste of the great and growing "picture" public.
Adventures and Enthusiasms|E. V. Lucas
Punch still intermittently bewailed the decline of the Harlequinade.
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England Vol. IV of IV.|Charles L. Graves

But—that such talent may not rust, I will place one by your side on whom you can practise your harlequinade follies at pleasure.
Love and Intrigue|Friedrich Schiller

British Dictionary definitions for harlequinade

harlequinade

/ (ˌhɑːlɪkwɪˈneɪd) /

noun

(sometimes capital) theatre a play or part of a pantomime in which harlequin has a leading role

buffoonery

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012