play-acting
See also: playacting
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]play-acting (usually uncountable, plural play-actings)
- The acting of a play or plays; the occupation of an actor; dramatic performance.
- 2003, Rebecca Fraser, The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present: A Narrative History, New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, published 2006, →ISBN, page 327:
- Despite growing Puritan disapproval of play-acting, vehemently expressed in sermons and pamphlets, Charles's court was famous for its amateur theatricals.
- (figuratively) The act of engaging in pretence or insincere behavior, often in order to mislead someone or gain an advantage.
- 1963, Conrad M. Arensberg, Arthur H. Niehoff, Technical Cooperation and Cultural Reality, Washington, D.C.: United States Department of State, Agency for International Development, page 38:
- Children's games are often play-actings of adult roles and thus inculcate the values and customs of the culture in a way that formal schooling might neglect.
- 2020 May 4, Tom McTague, “Being a Parent Has Made My Pandemic Life Simpler, If You Can Believe It”, in The Atlantic[1]:
- Yes, child care means that the days are longer, working hours broken up and scattered between intervals of dinosaur play-acting. It also means there is almost no time alone.
Translations
[edit]act of engaging in pretence or insincere behavior
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Verb
[edit]play-acting
- present participle and gerund of play-act