kayfabe

Etymology
en, but attributed to US carnival slang ("carny"), usually as a purposefully obscure variant of the admonition "be fake" formed through backslang or mangled pig Latin. Also sometimes attributed to an alteration of cave (Latin for "beware"), ("stay alert"), or an eponymous figure named Kay Fabe or Kay Fabian.

Noun

 * 1)  The act, situation, or code of portraying staged events, performances, rivalries, etc as authentic or spontaneous.
 * 2) * 2001 April 27, Alex Marvez, "Grappling for the Right Words?", South Florida Sun-Sentinel, p. 44:
 * "Jack, Gordon and I were talking about how we heard do an interview where he said there was no such thing as kay-fabe any more," said Blair, referring to the fact most wrestler secrets were exposed in the 1990s.
 * 1) * 2006, Eldridge Wayne Coleman & al., Tangled Ropes, ISBN 978-1-4165-0753-6, p. 143:
 * Suddenly, I heard a shout behind me: "Kayfabe! Kayfabe!" It was Gagne, freaking out and twitching and gesturing. He was afraid that some of the marks would see us in such close proximity and wonder why I wasn't choking out Wahoo with the velvet rope leading to the reservation counter, or carving him up with the ticket agent's pen. The thing was that, with the exception of the AWA guys, the terminal was empty.
 * 1) * 2013, Saul Lemerond, "Cowboys in Rainbow City", Kayfabe & Other Stories, ISBN 978-0-989607-11-7, p. 45:
 * I've been breaking kayfabe a lot lately and it's bad, completely unprofessional.
 * 1)  Similar fakery or suspension of disbelief in other contexts.
 * 2) * 2017 September 29,, "Roy Moore: Gladiator", National Review:
 * The Republican brand will be tarnished even more as mainstream media outlets and late-night comedians gleefully broadcast Moore’s asininity to the broader public. But, yeah, sure: It’ll be entertaining for people who now follow politics like it’s one long pro-wrestling kayfabe.
 * The Republican brand will be tarnished even more as mainstream media outlets and late-night comedians gleefully broadcast Moore’s asininity to the broader public. But, yeah, sure: It’ll be entertaining for people who now follow politics like it’s one long pro-wrestling kayfabe.

Adjective

 * 1)  Of or related to kayfabe, especially forbidden to mention or show in order to maintain kayfabe.
 * 2) * 2013, Saul Lemerond, "Cowboys in Rainbow City", Kayfabe & Other Stories, ISBN 978-0-989607-11-7, pp. 43–4:
 * My wife... currently serves as a Florida State Senator... My kayfabe wife has enormous fake breasts, bleach blonde hair, and a nose that is too small for her face.

Verb

 * 1)  To maintain kayfabe, to deceive by staying in character.
 * 2) * 2006, Eldridge Wayne Coleman & al., Tangles Ropes, ISBN 978-1-4165-0753-6, p. 97:
 * ...Mascaras was never one of the boys. Here's an example: after his matches, he'd shower with his mask on. I understand protecting your image, but the guy was kayfabing us.