a frivolous or flippant style of treating a subject.
Origin: 1750–60; < French, derivative of persifler to banter, equivalent to per-per- + siffler to whistle, hiss < Late Latin sifilāre, for Latin sībilāre;see sibilant, -age
1757, from Fr. persiflage, from persifler "to banter," from L. per- "through" + Fr. siffler "to whistle, hiss," from collateral form of L. sibilare "to hiss," possibly of imitative origin.