mockery

/ˈmä-k(ə-)rē/

noun

  1. insulting or contemptuous action or speech : derision

  2. a subject of laughter, derision, or sport

  3. a counterfeit appearance : imitation

laying himself open to the jeers and mockeries of his rebellious subjects

noun

  1. action or speech in which one mocks or makes fun of oneself : mockery of oneself

Before he retired from baseball in 1954, Mr. Garagiola was acquiring a reputation as a popular after-dinner speaker in his native St. Louis, with an endearing quality of self-mockery.