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Dictionary

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. Also,bur•lesk'.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.
to make ridiculous by mocking representation.

—v.i.
to use caricature.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

Burleson

burletta

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