charade

• n. 看手勢猜字謎遊戲
• n. (Charade)人名；(阿拉伯)謝拉德

可能來自char，嘰嘰喳喳的聲音，代指字謎遊戲中的一些暗示。-ade, 名詞後綴。

charade (n.)

1776, from French charade (18c.), probably from Provençal charrado "long talk, chatter," of obscure origin, perhaps from charrar "to chatter, gossip," of echoic origin. Compare Italian ciarlare, Spanish charlar "to talk, prattle." Originally not silent, but relying rather on enigmatic descriptions of the words or syllables.

As we have ever made it a Rule to shew our Attention to the Reader, by 'catching the Manners living, as they rise,' as Mr. Pope expresses it, we think ourselves obliged to give Place to the following Specimens of a new Kind of SMALL WIT, which, for some Weeks past, has been the Subject of Conversation in almost every Society, from the Court to the Cottage. The CHARADE is, in fact, a near Relation of the old Rebus. It is usually formed from a Word of two Syllables; the first Syllable is described by the Writer; then the second; they are afterwards united and the whole Word marked out .... [supplement to "The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure," volumes 58-59, 1776]

Among the examples given are:

My first makes all nature appear of one face;
At the next we find music, and beauty and grace;
And, if this Charade is most easily read,
I think that the third shou'd be thrown at my head.

[The answer is "snow-ball."]

The silent form, the main modern form, was at first a variant known as dumb charades and at first it was not a speed contest; rather it adhered to the old pattern, and the performing team acted out all the parts in order before the audience team began to guess.

There is one species of charade which is performed solely by "dumb motions," somewhat resembling the child's game of "trades and professions"; but the acting charade is a much more amusing, and more difficult matter. ["Goldoni, and Modern Italian Comedy," in "The Foreign And Colonial Quarterly Review," Volume 6, 1846]

An 1850 book, "Acting Charades," reports that Charades en Action were all the rage in French society, and that "Lately, the game has been introduced into the drawing-rooms of a few mirth-loving Englishmen. Its success has been tremendous." Welsh siarad obviously is a loan-word from French or English, but its meaning of "speak, a talk" is closer to the Provençal original.

1. I wondered why he had gone through the elaborate charade.

我不明白，他為什麽要大費周章，裝腔作勢。

來自柯林斯例句

2. Their whole marriage had been a charade—they had never loved each other.

他們的整個婚姻都是在做戲—他們從未相愛過。

來自《權威詞典》

3. He wasn't really upset — his behaviour was just a charade.

他並不是真正心緒煩亂——他的行為隻是荒謬的偽裝.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. I refused to go along with their pathetic charade.

我拒不跟他們擺出那副可悲的裝模作樣的姿態.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

5. She struggled to maintain the charade of not being afraid.

她竭力裝出不害怕的樣子.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》