Words / C2

lam-POON/læmˈpuːn/

To lampoon is to mock a person or institution in public satire: lampoon a policy, a lampoon (noun) of the board. Satirise is a close verb; ridicule (already in the dictionary) can be crueller and less artful. Parody imitates a style. Do not lampoon a junior’s first draft in a staff meeting.

Meaning

To publicly mock a person or institution with sharp satire.

Examples

• “The sketch lampooned the “listening exercise” that never minuted a word.”
• “The revue lampooned the “listening exercise” that produced no minute.”
• “Ridicule can be a sneer; a lampoon is shaped satire. Parody copies a style to mock it.”

Good to know

Satirise in public. Noun: a lampoon. Close: satirise. Crueller cousin: ridicule. Style-copy: parody. Not punching down in a briefing.

Near in meaning

satirise

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