Make Your Point: KAYFABE

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > KAYFABE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

pronounce KAYFABE:

KAY fabe

connect this word to others:

As we check out the whimsical word kayfabe today, let's recall another one that also comes from the world of wrestling:

Also the name of a style of wrestling with very few rules, "c____-as-c____-c___" means "involving doing anything possible to get whatever you can."

I guess you could just say "no holds barred" instead, but "c____-as-c____-c___" is... catchier.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

(Source)

"Kayfabe" is a slang word that dates back to the year 1988 or so. No one is quite sure how it arose—possibly as a coded form of a phrase like "be fake"—but it definitely became popular back in the eighties in the world of professional wrestling.

When pro wrestlers would "keep kayfabe," they'd keep up the act, pretending like all the staged theatrics were real.

In pro wrestling, and just in general, kayfabe is the act or quality of pretending like staged things are actually real.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Most often a noun, the uncountable kind: "You'll need to keep kayfabe all through the con;" "I couldn't believe how often they broke kayfabe."

Some people also use it as an adjective. Here's Dave Buchanon: "Seeing Chris Jericho giving an interview on ESPN that doesn't even try to be kayfabe just amazes me."

Other forms:

None.

how to use it:

Pick the fun, slangy, rare word "kayfabe" to strike a casual, lighthearted tone.

Unless your readers are fans of pro wrestling, they may not have heard it before. Make sure your context makes the meaning clear, or just go ahead and gloss it for them (define it as you use it).

Talk about people keeping kayfabe, or breaking kayfabe.

Who might do this? Anyone who has to play a role but pretend like it's all real. So that might include salespeople, con artists, actors on reality TV shows, or workers who have to keep up a "customer service" persona.

examples:

"The HBO documentary about Andre the Giant is quite good and I'm stunned that Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan just can't 100% turn off the kayfabe part of themselves."
— Art from Friends at the Table, Twitter, 14 April 2018

"The third criterion [for 'vibes music'] is sincerity: it's important that the lyrics are fully committed to the bit. 'One Week' ('hold me now and watch the hoodwink, does it make you stop, think, you'll think you're looking at Aquaman') has a lot of fun words, but they clearly know it. The whole thing is extremely tongue-in-cheek. They're in on the joke, they're breaking kayfabe, and it's impossible to buy into the vibes."
— Cory Arnold, 12Tone: In Defense Of Bad Lyrics, 25 August 2023

has this page helped you understand "kayfabe"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of the phrase "to keep kayfabe" without saying "to stay in character" or "to not break the fourth wall."

try it out:

In the movie Waiting, Naomi waits tables but hates it. She keeps kayfabe, though. With her customers, she's all smiles and enthusiasm.

As soon as she's back in the kitchen with her work friends, she curses maniacally about how much she hates her customers. If she broke kayfabe outside the kitchen, she'd probably get fired.

Talk about a situation where you, too, had to keep kayfabe. What would have happened if you'd broken it?

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "That’s What They Said."

Consider a quote from The Office, and decide which of three given terms you can most easily connect it to. You can see my suggested answer by scrolling to the bottom of the issue. But yours doesn’t need to match mine.

For example, if I give you this:

Kelly: "I talk a lot, so I've learned to just tune myself out." Abstemious, garrulous, or ominous?

Then you might answer, "Garrulous, because Kelly talks on and on."

Try this one today:

Michael: "I knew exactly what to do. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what to do." Moxie, paradox, or intoxicate?

review this word:

1. A near opposite of KAYFABE is

A. AUTHORITY (being in charge of things).
B. AUTHENTICITY (being true to one's self).
C. AUTHORSHIP (writing or otherwise creating materials).

2. I bet _____ had to practice to keep kayfabe so well while _____.

A. the lifestyle guru Martha Stewart .. in prison
B. the character comedian Stephen Colbert .. testifying before Congress
C. the Olympic gymnast Simone Biles .. vying for her first gold medal

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > KAYFABE Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to "Make Your Point" for a daily vocabulary boost.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > KAYFABE

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.