burlesque: Meaning and Definition of

bur•lesque

Pronunciation: (bur-lesk'), [key]
— n., adj., v., -lesqued, -lesquing.
—n.
  1. an artistic composition, esp. literary or dramatic, that, for the sake of laughter, vulgarizes lofty material or treats ordinary material with mock dignity.
  2. any ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature.
  3. a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus.
—adj.
  1. involving ludicrous or mocking treatment of a solemn subject.
  2. of, pertaining to, or like stage-show burlesque.
—v.t.
  1. to make ridiculous by mocking representation.
—v.i.
  1. to use caricature.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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