sham (sham)

and a. [A dial. form of shame (like shack for shake, tak for take, etc.). The noun depends in part on the verb (see sham, v.). It came into general literary use, in the later senses, in the last quarter of the 17th century, as if a piece of slang.] I. n. 1. Shame; disgrace; fault. [Prov. Eng.] -2. A trick put upon one; a trick or device that deludes or disappoints expectation; fraud; imposture; make-believe; humbug: as, an age of shams. Two young gent. that heard Sr. H. tell this sham so gravely rode the next day to St. Alban's to enquire; comeing there, nobody had heard of any such thing, 'twas altogether false. Aubrey, Lives, Henry Blount. Shamming is telling you an insipid dull Lie with a dull Face, which the sly Wag the Author only laughs at himself; and, making himself believe 'tis a good Jest, puts the Sham only upon himself. Wycherley, Plain Dealer, iii. 1. That Sham is too gro to pa on me. Congreve, Way of the World, v. 10. If peace is sought to be defended or preserved for the safety of the luxurious and the timid, it is a sham , and the peace will be base. Emerson, War. 3. Some device meant to give a thing a different outward appearance, as of neatne and finish, or to imitate something which it is not. Specifically - (at) A false shirt-front; a dicky. You put upon me, when I first came to Town, about being orderly, and the Doctrine of wearing Shams , to make Linen last clean a Fortnight. Steele , Conscious Lovers, i. 1. (6) A false pillow-cover; a pillow-sham. (c) A strip of fine linen, often embroidered, put under the upper edge of the bed-coverings and turned over, as if forming the upper end of the sheet, (d) pl . Gaiters. [Local, Eng.] II. a. False; counterfeit; pretended: as, a sham fight. of your Sham Addre es The Discovered tion, Congreve, Way of the World, i. 1. The other two packets he carried with him to Halifax, where he stayed some time to exercise the men in sham attacks upon sham forts. B. Franklin, Autobiog., p. 257. Sham answer, sham defense, sham plea, in law , a pleading so clearly false in fact as to present no substantial i ue. The phrase is commonly taken to imply a pleading formally sufficient, and interposed for the mere purpose of delay. =Syn. Mock, spurious, make-believe. sham (sham), v .; pret. and pp. shammed , ppr. shamming. [ shame , v.] I. trans. 1. To deceive; trick; cheat; delude with false pretenses. I own I laugh at over-righteous men, I own I shake my sides at ranters, And treat sham Abram saints with wicked banters. Hood , Ode to Rae Wilson. Must they die, and die in vain, Like a flock of shambled sheep? The Century , XXXVIII. 730.