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sham |
5 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Sham \Sham\, a. False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as a sham fight. They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians. --Jowett Thucyd From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Sham \Sham\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shammed}; p. pr & vb n. {Shamming}.] 1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses. Fooled and shammed into a conviction. --L'Estrange. 2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.] We must have a care that we do not . . . sham fallacies upon the world for current reason. --L'Estrange. 3. To assume the manner and character of to imitate; to ape; to feign. {To sham Abram} or {Abraham}, to feign sickness; to malinger. Hence a malingerer is called in sailors' cant, Sham Abram, or Sham Abraham. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Sham \Sham\, v. i. To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose. Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were such fools as they professed to be or were only shamming. --Macaulay. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Sham \Sham\, n. [Originally the same word as shame, hence a disgrace, a trick. See {Shame}, n.] 1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe; delusion; imposture, humbug. ``A mere sham.'' --Bp. Stillingfleet Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. --Addison. 2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering. {Pillow sham}, a covering to be laid on a pillow. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: sham adj : adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an assumed cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish voice"; "sham modesty" [syn: {assumed}, {false}, {fictitious}, {fictive}, {pretended}, {put on}] n 1: something false; not what it seems to be [syn: {fake}, {postiche}] 2: a person who makes deceitful pretenses [syn: {imposter}, {impostor}, {pretender}, {fake}, {faker}, {fraud}, {pseudo}, {pseud}, {role player}] v 1: make a pretence of "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep" [syn: {simulate}, {assume}, {feign}] 2: make believe; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache" [syn: {feign}, {pretend}, {affect}, {dissemble}]
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