Definition of "trumpery" [trump•er•y]

• Showy but worthless finery; bric-a-brac. (noun)
• Nonsense; rubbish. (noun)
• Deception; trickery; fraud. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""What trumpery is this?" he inquired, superciliously, noticing it almost immediately, and grasping the significance of it as promptly."
• "Now, when a story is recited, that is, when it is treated as a dramatic performance, this kind of trumpery is permissible, if ill-advised."
• "In the country, indeed, one is obliged to take up with all kind of trumpery; but in town I visit none but the women of women of quality."