charade
n.n. a performance where people act out a word or phrase without speaking. It is also used to describe a situation that is not real or is just pretending to be something else.
n. a performance in which participants act out a word or phrase without speaking; by extension, a situation or performance that is insincere or deceptive. Often used in the context of social or political behavior.
The meeting was a complete charade to hide the company's real problems.
The politician's speech was a charade, as he avoided answering any direct questions from the press.
The entire diplomatic process was a charade, with both sides merely performing for the international media while the real negotiations took place behind closed doors.
From French charade, charrade (“prattle, idle conversation; a kind of riddle”), probably from Occitan charrada (“conversation; chatter”), from charrar (“to chat; to chatter”) + -ada. As a round of the game, originally a clipping of acting charade but now usually understood and formed as a back-formation from charades.