badinage n : frivolous banter

English

Noun

1. Playful raillery; banter.

   • "No, this was more a night of bellowed barbed badinage, boisterous BS, outrageous declamations and defiant roars." —The Times (London), October 31, 2005

The badinerie or badinage is a brief and lively dance. It takes its name from the French badiner (to jest). The term arose during the 18th century when the badinerie was first included as a movement in the Baroque suite. Johann Sebastian Bach's (1685-1750) badinerie from his Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor for flute and strings, BWV 1067, is perhaps the best-known example.

Badinage can also refer to playful repartee, or banter.

backchat, banter, chaff, chaffing, exchange, fooling, fooling around, give-and-take, good-natured banter, harmless teasing, jape, jest, jive, joke, josh, joshing, kidding, kidding around, persiflage, pleasantry, raillery, rallying, repartee, ridicule, sport, twit