Speranza
burlesque (n.)
1660s, "derisive imitation, grotesque parody".
From French
"burlesque" (16c.).
From Italian "burlesco".
From "burla", joke, fun, mockery.
Possibly ultimately from Late Latin "burra", trifle, nonsense, lit. "flock of
wool."
Modern sense of "variety show featuring striptease" is American English,
1870.
Originally (1857) "the sketches at the end of minstrel shows."
As a verb,
from 1670s.
cfr. Arne, "The opera of operas: an opera" -- an early English burlesque.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment