1. (a.) Tending to excite laughter or contempt by extravagant images, or by a contrast between the subject and the manner of treating it, as when a trifling subject is treated with mock gravity; jocular; ironical.

2. (n.) Ludicrous representation; exaggerated parody; grotesque satire.

3. (n.) An ironical or satirical composition intended to excite laughter, or to ridicule anything.

4. (n.) A ludicrous imitation; a caricature; a travesty; a gross perversion.

5. (v. t.) To ridicule, or to make ludicrous by grotesque representation in action or in language.

6. (v. i.) To employ burlesque.

Atticism Broadway Thalia aggrandize aggrandizement agile wit amplification amplify anamorphosis ape arlequinade bad likeness ballyhoo belie big talk black comedy black humor blowing up botch broad broad comedy build up burletta camouflage camp caricatural caricature carnival carry too far circus color comedie bouffe comedie larmoyante comedie rosse comedietta comedy comedy ballet comedy of humors comedy of ideas comedy of intrigue comedy of manners comedy of situation comedy relief comic comic muse comic opera comic relief comical copy dark comedy daub derisive dilatation dilation disguise distort distortion doggerel domestic comedy drama draw the longbow dry wit dummy duplication enhancement enlargement entertainment industry esprit exaggerate exaggerating exaggeration excess exode exorbitance expansion extravagance extreme facsimile falsify farce farce comedy farcical garble genteel comedy go to extremes grandiloquence harlequinade hatchet job heightening high camp hit off on huckstering humor hyperbole hyperbolism hyperbolize imitate imitation inflation inordinacy irony knockoff lampoon lay it on legit legitimate stage light comedy low camp low comedy macaronic magnification magnify make much of malicious parody mime miscolor misquote misreport misrepresent misstate misteach mock mock-heroic mock-up mockery model musical musical comedy nimble wit off Broadway off-off-Broadway opera buffa overcharge overdo overdraw overemphasis overestimate overestimation overkill overpraise overreach overreact oversell overspeak overstate overstatement overstress paraphrase parodic parody pasquil pasquin pasquinade pastiche pervert pile it on playland pleasantry poison pen pretty wit prodigality profuseness puff puffery puffing up quick wit raw comedy ready wit realistic comedy repertory drama replica representation reproduction romantic comedy salt sarcasm satire satiric satirical satirize satyr play savor of wit scratch scribble sensationalism sentimental comedy sham show biz show business situation comedy slant slapstick slapstick comedy slapstick humor spoof squib stage world stagedom stageland stock strawhat strawhat circuit stretch stretch the truth stretching striptease subtle wit summer stock superlative take off take off on take-off takeoff talk big talk in superlatives tall talk the boards the footlights the scenes the stage the theater theater world theatromania theatrophobia tout touting tragicomedy tragicomic travesty twist understate variety vaudeville version visual humor warp wicked imitation wit wrench