antic

Etymology 1

Probably from Italian antico (“ancient”), used to describe ancient wall paintings from classical times, from Latin antiquus (“venerable”). See also grottesco (“grotesque”). Doublet of antique.

adj

1. Playful, funny, absurd.
   In recounting the story of Lenny and Eunice in his antic, supercaffeinated prose, Mr. Shteyngart gives us his most powerful and heartfelt novel yet — a novel that performs the delightful feat of mashing up an apocalyptic satire with a genuine supersad true love story. 2010-07-26, Michiko Kakutani, “Love Found Amid Ruins of Empire”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
2. (architecture, art) Grotesque, incongruous.
   The amusement park environment of seaside resorts such as Venice and the antic eclecticism of Greene & Greene's pre-Craftsman work all preceded the establishment of the movie colony in Hollywood. 2004, John Chase, Glitter Stucco and Dumpster Diving: Reflections on Building Production in the Vernacular city, page 58
3. (archaic) Grotesque, bizarre
4. Obsolete form of antique.

noun

1. (architecture, art, obsolete) A grotesque representation of a figure; a gargoyle.
2. A caricature.
3. (often in the plural) A ludicrous gesture or act; ridiculous behaviour; caper.
   I'm fed up with your constant antics in class. Please behave yourself!
   She put Rosebud through his paces in the ring, and received her share of applause at the antics of the clever horse. 1916, Vance Barnum, Joe Strong on the Trapeze
   I saw the barren horror of your people's leisure with the million entertained by the antics of a tiny few […] 1953, John Christopher, Blemish
   Pintsize: Wait, don’t you want to know why I’m tied up and hanging from the ceiling? / Faye: Not really. Nighty night! / Pintsize: Shit! My wacky antics have jumped the shark! 2007, Jeph Jacques, Time To Add A Cute Kid To The Cast Questionable Content Number 951
4. A grotesque performer or clown, buffoon.
   The Grave-maker, like the professional fools and Falstaff, and like Hamlet himself, is an antic, a grotesque, one who demonstrates to men how foolish and 1978, Walter C. Foreman, The Music of the Close: The Final Scenes of Shakespeare’s Tragedies, page 90

verb

1. (intransitive) To perform antics, to caper.
2. (obsolete) To make a fool of, to cause to look ridiculous.
   Whether one's surroundings were anticked up or not, one often felt one was living in another century at Roque. 1964, Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts
   Surtees became a friend of Walter Scott and played a very "anticking" joke upon the author. 1982, The Picturesque Tour, page 25
3. (transitive, rare) To perform (an action) as an antic; to mimic ridiculously.
   She unfastened her dress, her arms arched thin and high, her shadow anticking her movements. 1931, William Faulkner, Sanctuary, Vintage, published 1993, page 70

Etymology 2

From anticipation.

noun

1. (animation) A pose, often exaggerated, in anticipation of an action; for example, a brief squat before jumping