Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Farce?

\Farce\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Farced}, p. pr. & vb. n. {Farcing}.] [F. Farcir, L. farcire; akin to Gr. ???????? to fence in, stop up. Cf. {Force} to stuff, {Diaphragm}, {Frequent}, {Farcy}, {Farse}.] 1. To stuff with forcemeat; hence, to fill with mingled ingredients; to fill full; to stuff. [Obs.] The first principles of religion should not be farced with school points and private tenets. --Bp. Sanderson. His tippet was aye farsed full of knives. --Chaucer. 2. To render fat. [Obs.] If thou wouldst farce thy lean ribs. --B. Jonson. 3. To swell out; to render pompous. [Obs.] Farcing his letter with fustian. --Sandys.
\Farce\, n. [F. farce, from L. farsus (also sometimes farctus), p. p. pf farcire. See {Farce}, v. t.] 1. (Cookery) Stuffing, or mixture of viands, like that used on dressing a fowl; forcemeat. 2. A low style of comedy; a dramatic composition marked by low humor, generally written with little regard to regularity or method, and abounding with ludicrous incidents and expressions. Farce is that in poetry which ``grotesque'' is in a picture: the persons and action of a farce are all unnatural, and the manners false. --Dryden. 3. Ridiculous or empty show; as, a mere farce. ``The farce of state.'' --Pope.