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Original · left

Spoof (parody)

A humorous imitation or parody.

First in use: the 1880s
Duplicate · right

Spoofing attack

Falsifying an identity, address or caller ID to deceive a system or person.

First in use: the 1980s

Spoof / Spoof (parody) / Spoofing attack

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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Parody films vs. faked identities.

Which meaning of Spoof is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Spoof (parody) came first (the 1880s). Spoofing attack arrived in the 1980s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Spoof (parody)Spoofing attack
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1880s

Spoof (parody)

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Duplicate · the 1980s

Spoofing attack

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More duplicated terms

Cybersecurity