mock horror
Playful fake fright
Mock horror is an exaggerated display of shock or dismay that's clearly not genuine, performed for comic effect or social ritual.
Someone reacts with mock horror to a mildly scandalous joke or a friend's minor confession: She gasped in mock horror when he admitted he'd never seen Star Wars.
The performance signals that what's being reacted to isn't actually shocking.
- feignedFalsely displayed or simulated
- exaggeratedMade larger than reality
- gaspSudden sharp breath
- melodramaSensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- theatricalExaggeratedly emotional for effect
pearl clutching · clutching pearls · scandalized · well I never · aghast · pretend · campy · overwrought · dramatic · hammy · sarcastic · ironic · playful · tongue-in-cheek · pantomime · affectation · shriek · clutch
- fake emotionscrocodile tears, fake smile, feigned interest, false modesty, feigned surprise
- facial expressionssmiling, smile, grin, grinning, frown