Shamming

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Acting as if something is true or real when it is not, usually to deceive others
2. Feigning a condition or feeling in order to mislead people or avoid responsibility
3. Deliberately giving a false impression by simulating an action or state

Etymology: "Sham" is generally thought to be a dialectal form of "shame," though the origin is uncertain, and the word spent much of its life as a noun meaning a fake or pretence before becoming a verb. "Shamming" is simply the -ing form of that verb: to pretend, or to act as if something were genuine when it is not. A more colourful explanation circulates for the sense of trickery. It describes the thick base of a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bowl. Manufacturers were said to enlarge this base so that a glass labelled as holding twelve ounces actually held perhaps ten or eleven, while looking identical to honest glasses. Customers were thus shammed into believing they were getting more than they were. This story is offered as the source of the phrase "you got shammed," but it is unverified, and the link between the glass and the verb should be treated as a plausible tale rather than established history.

Synonyms: faking, pretending, simulating, deceiving, posing

Antonyms: acting, authenticating, revealing, disclosing, showing