harlequinade
/hɑːləkwɪˈneɪd/
harlequinade means A pantomime-like comedy featuring the harlequin or clown. It carries an Arena rating of 1656, earned across 46 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, harlequinade ranks #182 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #210 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #550 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #966 of 17,163 for Funniest Words.
harlequinade is pronounced /hɑːləkwɪˈneɪd/.
Why “harlequinade” is a great word
HARLEQUINADE — [Noun] A comic theatrical performance or fantastical playfulness, originally featuring the Harlequin character in a pantomime. From French arlequinade, from Arlequin (Harlequin), a stock character in Italian commedia dell'arte, whose name is of uncertain origin, possibly from Old French Hellequin, a malevolent spirit. Unlike pantomime, a broader genre of musical spectacle, or farce, a comedy of improbable situations, the harlequinade is the specific, visual revel of the diamond-suited trickster. It is the glint of sequins under the gaslight, the crack of a slapstick on padded shoulders, and the sudden, shimmering transformation of a hovel into a palace by the wave of a bat—a choreographed descent from demonic spirit to harmless trickster, a brief, brilliant argument for chaos rendered decorative.
Etymology
From French arlequinade.
noun
- A pantomime-like comedy featuring the harlequin or clown.
- Any comical or fantastical procedure or playfulness.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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