särˈdüd ə ldəm noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: sardoodle- (blend of Victorien Sardou died 1908 French playwright criticized by G. B. Shaw died 1950 English playwright for the supposed staginess of his plays and English doodle ) (I) + -dom
: mechanically contrived plot structure and stereotyped or unrealistic characterization in drama : staginess , melodrama
the authors of the world's great plays are not mere tricksters in Sardoodledom — John Mason Brown