SHAMMING

SHAM

feign, sham, pretend, affect, dissemble

(verb) make believe with the intent to deceive; “He feigned that he was ill”; “He shammed a headache”

simulate, assume, sham, feign

(verb) make a pretence of; “She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger”; “he feigned sleep”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Verb

shamming

present participle of sham

Source: Wiktionary

SHAM

Sham, n. Etym: [Originally the same word as shame, hence, a disgrace, a trick. See Shame, n.]

1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe; delusion; imposture, humbug. "A mere sham." Bp. Stillingfleet. Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. Addison.

2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering. Pillow sham, a covering to be laid on a pillow.

Sham, a.

Definition: False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham fight. They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians. Jowett (Thucyd)

Sham, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shammed; p. pr. & vb. n. Shamming.]

1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses. Fooled and shammed into a conviction. L'Estrange.

2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.] We must have a care that we do not . . . sham fallacies upon the world for current reason. L'Estrange.

3. To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign. To sham Abram or Abraham, to feign sickness; to malinger. Hence a malingerer is called, in sailors' cant, Sham Abram, or Sham Abraham.

Sham, v. i.

Definition: To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose. Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were such fools as they professed to be, or were only shamming. Macaulay.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition