|bärmə|sīd ə l adjective
or bar·me·cide ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌsīd
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Barmecide a member of a wealthy Persian family fl 752-803 (from Arabic barmok chief priest) + English -al
: providing only the illusion of plenty or abundance : unreal , illusory
he could persuade his guests that they had eaten well, though the meal had really been a barmecidal one — Hesketh Pearson
a Barmecide room, that always had a great dining table in it and never had a dinner — Charles Dickens
it was the first crumb of proof he had obtained after a long Barmecide banquet on pure theory — Fletcher Pratt