pretense

affect, act a part, put on; give oneself airs (arrogance); boast; coquet; simper, mince, attitudinize, pose; flirt a fan; overact, overdo.

color, dye, tinge, stain, tint, tinct, paint, wash, ingrain, grain, illuminate, emblazon, bedizen, imbue; paint (fine art).

deceive, take in; defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize; abuse; mystify; blind one's eyes; blindfold, hoodwink; throw dust into the eyes, "keep the word of promise to the ear and break it to the hope" [Macbeth]., impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm upon, foist upon; snatch a verdict; bluff off, bluff; bunko, four flush, gum [U.S.], spoof, stuff (a ballot box) [U.S.]., circumvent, overreach; outreach, out wit, out maneuver; steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch, set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for; bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime; decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle; trapan, trepan; kidnap; let in, hook in; trick; entrap, intrap, ensnare; nick, springe; nousle, nousel; blind a trail; immesh; shanghai; catch, catch in a trap; sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's creduility, dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool, bamboozle; hum, humbug; gammon, stuff up, sell; play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one; balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale; fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand; make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of; trifle with, cajole, flatter; come over (influence); gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon; dissemble., cog, cog the dice; live by one's wits, play at hide and seek; obtain money under false pretenses (steal); conjure, juggle, practice chicanery; deacon [U.S.]., play off, palm off, foist off, fob off., lie; misinform; mislead (error); betray; be deceived.

be false, be a liar [more]; speak falsely; tell a lie; lie, fib; lie like a trooper; swear false, forswear, perjure oneself, bear false witness., misstate, misquote, miscite, misreport, misrepresent; belie, falsify, pervert, distort; put a false construction upon (misinterpret), prevaricate, equivocate, quibble; palter, palter to the understanding; repondre en Normand; trim, shuffle, fence, mince the truth, beat about the bush, blow hot and cold, play fast and loose., garble, gloss over, disguise, give a color to; give a gloss, put a gloss, put false coloring upon; color, varnish, cook, dress up, embroider; varnish right and puzzle wrong; exaggerate; blague., invent, fabricate; trump up, get up; force, fake, hatch, concoct; romance (imagine); cry "wolf!', dissemble, dissimulate; feign, assume, put on, pretend, make believe; play possum; play false, play a double game; coquet; act a part, play a part; affect; simulate, pass off for; counterfeit, sham, make a show of; malinger; say the grapes are sour., cant, play the hypocrite, sham Abraham, faire pattes de velours, put on the mask, clean the outside of the platter, lie like a conjuror; hand out false colors, hold out false colors, sail under false colors; "commend the poisoned chalice to the lips" [Macbeth]; ambiguas in vulgum spargere voces; deceive.

pretend, plead, allege; shelter oneself under the plea of; excuse (vindicate); lend a color to; furnish a handle; make a pretext of, make a handle of; use as a plea; take one's stand upon, make capital out of , pretend (lie) [more].