Wiktionary

persiflage

See also: Persiflage

English

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WOTD – 14 April 2008

Etymology

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From French persiflage, from persifler (“to quiz, tease, mock”), from per- + siffler (“to whistle”), from Latin sībilō (“whistle”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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persiflage (countable and uncountable, plural persiflages)

  1. Good-natured banter; raillery.
    After the third strike he returned to the bench to face the inevitable persiflage from his teammates.
    • 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVIII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 208:
      No one can deny Lady Charlotte Bury's assertion, that no well-regulated young female will ever indulge in a species of amusement so improper as flirtation; but it must be admitted, that having a pleasant partner is preferable to not dancing, and that a little persiflage, a little raillery, a little flattery, go far to make a partner pleasant.
  2. Frivolous, lighthearted discussion of a topic.
    Polite dinner calls for persiflage rather than in-depth possibly offensive discussion.

Synonyms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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Dutch

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French persiflage.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌpɛr.siˈflaː.ʒə/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: per‧si‧fla‧ge
  • Rhymes: -aːʒə

Noun

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persiflage m (plural persiflages)

  1. Lighthearted caricature or mockery, as in a comedy sketch.
  2. (archaic) Ridiculing mispresenting or misconstruing.
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French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From persifler +‎ -age.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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persiflage m (plural persiflages)

  1. ridicule or malicious mockery made under the guise of good-natured raillery

Descendants

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Further reading

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