different between prevarication vs trumpery

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman prevaricassion, Middle French prevarication, and their source, Latin praev?ric?ti? (“collusion with an opponent; transgression; deceit”), from the stem of praev?ricor.

Pronunciation

• (non-merged vowel) IPA^(key): /p???væ???ke???n/
• (merged vowel) IPA^(key): /p???væ???ke???n/
• Rhymes: -e???n

Noun

prevarication (countable and uncountable, plural prevarications)

1. (now rare) Deviation from what is right or correct; transgression, perversion.
2. Evasion of the truth; deceit, evasiveness.

   Prevarication became the order of the day in his government while truth was a stranger in those halls.

   • 1779, William Cowper, Retirement

     The august tribunal of the skies, where no prevarication shall avail.

   • 2012, The Economist, Oct 6th 2012, Charlemagne: Mysterious Mariano

     Mr Rajoy frustrates many with his prevarication over a fresh euro-zone bail-out, which now comes with a conditional promise from the European Central Bank (ECB) to help bring down Spain’s stifling borrowing costs.

3. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office.
4. (law, historical, Ancient Rome) The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution.
5. (law) A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Cowell to this entry?)

Related terms

• prevaricate
• prevaricator

Translations

See also

• lie
• equivocate

Further reading

• Prevarication in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Middle French

Noun

prevarication f (plural prevarications)

1. prevarication (deviation from what is right)

Descendants

• ? English: prevarication
• French: prévarication

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French tromperie (“deceit”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?t??mp??i/
• Hyphenation: trump?ery

Noun

trumpery (plural trumperies)

1. Worthless finery; bric-a-brac or junk.
   • 1610, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act IV, scene 1:

     PROSPERO.^{[To Ariel]}

     This was well done, my bird.

     Thy shape invisible retain thou still:

     The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither

     For stale to catch these thieves.

2. Nonsense.
   • 1698, Robert South, “The Lineal Descent of Jesus of Nazareth from David by his Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary. Proved in a Discourse on Rev. xxii. 16.”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Subjects and Occasions, volume III, London: Printed by Tho[mas] Warren for Thomas Bennet, OCLC 272362693; republished as Twelve Sermons upon Several Subjects and Occasions, volume III, 6th edition, London: Printed by J. Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, at the Rose in Pater-noster Row, 1727, OCLC 85047152, page 287:

     Now upon the coming of Chri?t, very much, tho' not all, of this idolatrous Trumpery and Super?tition was driven out of the World: […]

3. (obsolete) Deceit; fraud.
   • 1640, Richard Greenwey, The Annales of Cornelius Tacitus. The Description of Germanie, publ. by Richard Whitaker, 182.

   • 1859, Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White:

     In that case there is no need for me to write about the trumpery scandal by which I was the sufferer—the innocent sufferer, I positively assert.

Translations

Adjective

trumpery (not comparable)

1. Gaudy but worthless.
   • 1887, Charles Mackay, Through the Long Day: Or, Memorials of a Literary Life (page 113)

     I also remember the old Royal Mews that stood on the site of the present trumpery National Gallery, with its too suggestive pepper-boxes; […]

   • 1954, Anthony Buckeridge, According to Jennings, London: William Collins, Sons, OCLC 255905255; republished London: Stratus Books, 2003, ISBN 978-0-7551-0165-8, page 136:

     “Of all the trumpery moonshine!” Mr Wilkins exploded. “What do you think you're playing at, Jennings!”