persiflage

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: per=si=flage

CIDE DICTIONARY

persiflage, n. [F., fr. persifler to quiz, fr. L. per + siffler to whistle, hiss, L. sibilare, sifilare.].

 Frivolous or bantering talk; a frivolous manner of treating any subject, whether serious or otherwise; light raillery.  Hannah More.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

persiflage, n. light raillery, banter.

Etymology

F persifler banter, formed as PER- + siffler whistle

THESAURUS

persiflage

aphorism, apothegm, backchat, badinage, banter, bon mot, boutade, bright idea, bright thought, brilliant idea, chaff, conceit, crack, cross, epigram, exchange, facetiae, flash of wit, flight of wit, fooling, fooling around, gibe, give-and-take, good-natured banter, happy thought, harmless teasing, jape, jest, jive, joke, josh, kidding, kidding around, mot, nasty crack, play of wit, pleasantry, quip, quips and cranks, raillery, rallying, repartee, retort, ridicule, riposte, sally, scintillation, smart crack, smart saying, snappy comeback, sport, stroke of wit, turn of thought, twit, wisecrack, witticism

ROGET THESAURUS

persiflage

Ridicule

N ridicule, derision, sardonic smile, sardonic grin, irrision, scoffing, mockery, quiz, banter, irony, persiflage, raillery, chaff, badinage, quizzing, asteism, squib, satire, skit, quip, quib, grin, parody, burlesque, travesty, travestie, farce, caricature, buffoonery, practical joke, horseplay, scorn, contempt, derisory, derisive, mock, mocking, sarcastic, ironic, ironical, quizzical, burlesque, Hudibrastic, scurrilous, in ridicule.