Cool Word: spoof

[The Learning Kingdom]

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   The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for August 16, 1999
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                         spoof [n., v. SPOOF]

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A spoof is a bit of nonsense or tomfoolery, or it is a gentle satire,
and to spoof is to deceive or carry out a spoof.  Example: "The
hilarious spoof of 'Star Trek' was the best sketch of the evening."

This word started out as the name of a card game invented in the
1880s by Arthur Roberts, a British comedian.  As one might expect of
a game invented by a comedian, Spoof was a humorous game that
included elements of trickery and pretense.

By 1889, the word was being used in a more general sense to indicate
nonsense, trickery or deceit, with a negative connotation.  It was not
until the 1920s that the lighter sense of "gentle satire" appeared.
Today both meanings are considered valid.


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