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| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| false alarm | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a needless alarm given in error or with intent to deceive |
| 2. | an occasion on which danger is perceived but fails to materialize |
false alarm
A warning signal that is groundless, made either by mistake or as a deliberate deception. For example, The rumor that we were all going to get fired was just a false alarm, or Setting off a false alarm is a criminal offense. This expression, first recorded in 1579, today is often used for a report of a nonexistent fire.