put up a show
Act for appearances
Put up a show means to create an appearance or display, often one that doesn't reflect reality.
Someone who puts up a show of confidence may actually feel insecure; a couple might put up a show of happiness for the guests despite their troubled marriage.
The phrase suggests deliberate performance or pretense, maintaining a facade for others' benefit.
It overlaps with put on a show, though that phrase more often emphasizes dramatic flair or spectacle rather than deception.
- feigningPretending to feel something
- stagecraftTheater production expertise
- charadeAbsurd or obvious pretense
- facadeDeceptive outward appearance
- false frontMisleading outward appearance
theatrics · display · smoke and mirrors · pretext · bluff · masquerade · dramatization · demonstration · illusion · posturing · misrepresentation · artifice · spectacle · song and dance · choreography · showcasing · acting · going through the motions
put up a showbe authentic
Act without pretense
be honest · be yourself · show true colors · act naturally · keep it real
put up a showopen up
Reveal inner thoughts
drop the mask · bare one's soul · come clean · let it all hang out · lay one's cards on the table
put, puts, putting, putter, show, shows, showed, shown, showing