simulacrum
representation or imitation of a person or thing
dummy load
device used to simulate an electrical load
zero issue
issue of a magazine or newspaper that appears before the actual launch of the medium and is sometimes not yet available for purchase; used for visual illustration and intended to help attract advertisers
rogue security software
form of malicious software and internet fraud that misleads users into believing there is a virus on their computer and aims to convince them to pay for a fake malware removal tool
artificial plant
synthetic reproduction of a natural plant
syntactic expletive
word that contributes nothing to the semantic meaning of a sentence but performs a syntactic role (e.g. "it" in "it is raining")
feint
manipulative tactic in sport or military intended to mislead, confuse the adversary with an act resembling an attack
crash test dummy
full-scale anthropomorphic test devices (ATD) that simulate the dimensions, weight proportions and articulation of the human body, and are usually instrumented to record data about the dynamic behavior of the ATD in simulated vehicle impacts
decoy
person, device, or event designed as a distraction meant to fool or divert an automated device, someone, another living being, or some natural process
simulation
imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time, for studying either real events in many contexts or effects of alternative conditions and courses of actions
placeholder
substitute mark
fake moustache
fashion item, disguise component, or performing arts tool
battery eliminator
dummy battery that supplies electricity from a connected external power source
seaborne target
Ships or floating structures shot at for practice
camouflage passport
document, designed to look like a real passport, issued in the name of a non-existent country or entity
counterfeit money
money that was created illegally
System Idle Process
dummy process used to account for idle CPU time by Windows NT-family operating systems
peppercorn
very small payment offered as consideration to satisfy legal requirements for a valid contract
asemic writing
wordless open semantic form of writing
astrakhan
woven imitation fabric with a curly warp pile, made to resemble karakul lamb fleece
dummy variable
one that takes the value 0 or 1 to indicate the absence or presence of some categorical effect that may be expected to shift the outcome
theatrical property
movable physical object used on a motion picture, television, or stage set that are not costume
rubber duck
non-functional, rubber or plastic weapon used in United States military training
pacifier
rubber, plastic or silicone nipple for infants to suck upon
placeholder name
name substituted for an unknown name
mockup
scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, simulation, promotion, and other purposes
null encryption
choosing not to use encryption in a system where various encryption options are offered, for testing/debugging, or authentication-only communication
nonsense word
unlike a sememe, may have no definition; if it can be pronounced according to a language's phonotactics, it is a pseudoword; used in literature for poetic or humorous effect. Proper names of real or fictional entities are sometimes nonsense words
non-apology apology
statement in the form of an apology that does not express remorse
slug
object used falsely as a coin
zero-ohm link
dummy resistor
test double
computing object that substitutes for another object for use in testing
dummy candidate
someone who stands for election with no intention of winning
null function
subroutine that returns no data values and leaves the program state unchanged
crash test
form of destructive testing performed in order to ensure safe design standards for various modes of transportation
fictitious entry
deliberately incorrect entry in a reference work
rehearsal
practice performance
one-dollar salary
nominal salary used in situations where an executive wishes to work without direct compensation, but for legal reasons must receive a payment above zero, so as to distinguish them from a volunteer
decoy
fake military equipment intended to deceive the enemy
dummy round
ammunition type used for training
dummy pronoun
pronoun having no referent, only used to fulfill grammatical rules; e.g. "it" as in "it rains"
non-denial denial
statement which appears to deny that something is true, but which, when examined carefully, can be seen to have used diversion, bluster, or ambiguity to avoid making a clear, direct denial
pish
human imitation of a bird call used to attract birds for observation
zero-byte file
computer file containing no data
placebo
substance or treatment of no therapeutic value
toy weapon
images and copies of real weapons made for playing
Potemkin village
structure built solely to deceive others into thinking that a situation is better than it really is
filler text
text generated to fill space or provide unremarkable and/or standardised text
fictitious telephone number
telephone number for use in fiction