charades, (used with a singular verb) a game in which the players are typically divided into two teams, members of which take turns at acting out in pantomime a word, phrase, title, etc., which the members of their own team must guess.
a word or phrase acted out in this game.
a blatant pretense or deception, especially something so full of pretense as to be a travesty.
Origin of charade
1770–80; <French <Provençal charrad(o) entertainment, equivalent to charr(á) to chat, chatter (from imitative root) + -ado-ade1
Words nearby charade
character study, character type, character witness, charactery, charactonym, charade, charades, charanga, charango, charas, Charcas
The vaudeville veteran sees right through this charade of benighted widowhood, peeling back the veneer to reveal the specimen of ruthless ambition beneath.
‘All About Eve’ at 70|Tom Joudrey|September 25, 2020|Washington Blade
If the Democrats maintain this charade, 2016 will not be the cakewalk they dream it to be.
Earth to DNC: Dyspeptic Dad Still Votes, Too|Lloyd Green|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What I mean is that both sides found time to put on a charade.
Obama and Latinos Are at the Breaking Point|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally, she reached a point where she could no longer continue the charade.
Fred Phelps’s Son Is the Subject of a Documentary About His Abusive Childhood and Escaping Westboro Baptist|Caitlin Dickson|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Democrats, do the American thing and have nothing to do with this charade.
Beirut Barracks vs. Benghazi|Michael Tomasky|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If this is all a hoax, Detweiler is a master of the charade.
The Mystery of FluteDrop: D.J. Detweiler Pairs Miley Cyrus With Woodwinds|Gideon Resnick|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was, he guessed, because of the too tender passage in the charade.
Tutors' Lane|Wilmarth Lewis
"Come, come, let's get on with the charade," urged the Man from Outside.
The Money Master, Complete|Gilbert Parker
At the end of the first charade, when the girls were standing at a loss in the dimly-lit hall, she made a timid suggestion.
Pointed Roofs|Dorothy Richardson
They then both rose and declared the charade completed, leaving it to the audience to divine the answer.
The Art of Amusing|Frank Bellew
The next night the charade was ass-ass-in, and Blinks went on for the first two syllables.
The Three Brides, Love in a Cottage, and Other Tales|Francis A. Durivage