Spoof

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Grammarist

Spoof describes a humorous parody or satire or the act of producing a humorous parody or satire. Spoof may also describe a prank or joke, or playing a prank or joke. Spoof  is used as a noun or a verb, related words are spoofs, spoofed, spoofing, spoofer, spoofery. The word spoof was coined by a British comedian, Arthur Roberts, in the late 1800s to mean a hoax or deception or the act of creating a hoax or deception. In the early 1900s spoof also came to mean a humorous parody or satire or the act of producing a humorous parody or satire. Today, spoof may also describe a type of computer hacking.

Examples

Kate McKinnon and Seinfeld co-creator Larry David faced off in a spoof of Thursday’s Democratic debate as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but one famous fictional New Yorker stole the show with her questions. (The Week Magazine)

The intentionally nonsensical spoof article, signed by ‘Benedetta Tripodi’ but really the work of Philippe Huneman and Anouk Barberousse, was accepted and published by the journal Badiou Studies (“a multi-lingual, peer-reviewed journal”) which is devoted to the work of French philosopher Alain Badiou. (Discover Magazine)

While British comedian Ricky Gervais has likened the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard apology video to a “hostage video,” one YouTube vlogger has made a spoof of the original, which has taken the Internet by storm. (The International Business Times)

A 27-year-old man in Ohio has been arrested for creating a parody Facebook page of a local police department. Anthony Novak allegedly spoofed the Parma Police Department and posted “derogatory” and “inflammatory” information. (The Straits Times)

Companies are unlikely to develop sensors that can thwart sophisticated spoofers anytime soon. (Fortune Magazine)