Fake

For other uses, see Fake (disambiguation).

Fake is a term used to describe or imply that something is not real or that it is false.

Examples and applications include:

• Dramatic portrayals
  • A film or play may show fictional events, actors typically show fake emotions, and fake objects (e.g., props) and fake houses (movie sets) are used
• Fiction
  • Novels create made-up characters and settings to catch a reader's attention.
  • Fictional examples used as case studies in law, medicine, etc.

• An insult used to describe a person who lies, pretends to be something they are not (e.g., a poseur), does not have an opinion of their own or pretends to like things he or she does not.

• Deception
  • A forgery (a false document or picture)
  • A counterfeit (of an object)
  • A decoy (e.g., a cannon-shaped object made of wood which is designed to fool the enemy)
  • When a singer lip synchs to a recording during a purportedly live concert
  • A charlatan (a Sales person who sells something of no value based on false claims.)
  • Cover story (active cover-up), untrue explanation for a situation or untrue reason for an action, to hide what is really going on or is the real motive. It may involve real actions and objects related to the story to make it plausible.
  • A Ploy (A Plan, Strategy, or Tactic which uses some deception in order to gain an advantage; Eg. A deceptive play in football such as the draw play.)

• The same purpose (partly or fully) as the real thing
  • Meat analogue (e.g., tofu hot dogs)
  • Imitation fur
  • Artificial leather
  • Fake guns used in a bank robbery; for this reason realistic-looking fake guns are often prohibited
  • A Prop or Stand in, such as a Dummy

Reasons for using a fake object instead of the real thing include:

• The real thing does not exist, including:
  • A reconstruction of a historical object made based on historical accounts or speculation
  • A fantasy object (e.g., a "laser blaster" held by an actor in a sci-fi film)

• A fake version of an object may:
  • be more easily available (e.g., artificial vanilla flavour does not require vanilla beans)
  • be less expensive (e.g., a glass rhinestone in costume jewellery, vinyl imitation leather, etc.)
  • be at less of a risk of damage or theft (e.g., when a replica of an Egyptian tomb treasure is displayed in a museum)
  • be less dangerous (e.g. a toy weapon, or a weapon prop)
  • be less heavy (e.g., an imitation oak beam which is hollow, but covered with a thin layer of veneer)
  • not require an animal to be killed (meat analogue, imitation fur, imitation ivory piano keys)
  • be legal while the real thing is illegal (e.g., a replica of an AK-47 designed for the US civilian market which can only fire in semi-automatic mode)
  • not require a license (e.g., a replica of a flintlock musket which cannot chamber or fire ammunition)
  • Replaceable or Reusable while the real thing is not (Such as the case of Dummy Round when training in the Military]]

• Decoys used as military targets or to deceive the enemy (e.g., dummy tanks made of wood) are much less expensive and lighter than the real thing.

See also

• dummy
• hoax
• replica
• fiction