Word-Built World: farce

Farce Actors Dancing, Art: Pieter Jansz. Quast (1605-1647)

A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg

It’s said that you are what you eat, but these days perhaps you’re also what you tweet. Or stream. Or binge. Just as you might regret indulging in dubious street food, you may later regret swallowing those half-baked WhatsApp forwards and other the artificially flavored postings whipped up by paid operatives.

Just as a bad diet can lead to health problems, consuming harmful media can pollute our understanding of the world.

As an antidote, we’ll serve up five delectable words with food-related etymology (literally, true story). Enjoy these words from the culinary world that have simmered their way into everyday language. Each one is a tasty metaphor ready for use beyond the kitchen.

farce

PRONUNCIATION:

(fars) 

MEANING:

noun:1. A light play, film, or literary work involving absurd, exaggerated, or improbable situations.
 2. Humor of this type.
 3. An absurd or ridiculous situation; mockery.
 4. A mix of finely chopped ingredients used as stuffing.
verb tr.:1. To pad a speech or written work with jokes or witty remarks.
 2. To stuff or fill with culinary mixture.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old French farce (stuffing, interlude), from Latin farsa, feminine of Latin farsus, from farcire (to stuff). Earliest documented use: 1390.

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