Kayfabe

While wrestling matches aren’t my scenes,
I’ve come to know what “kayfabe” means:
Pretending to believe it’s real
Instead of scripted for appeal.

It also sometimes has referred
To acts involved. This newish word
Was written first in ’88
But surely didn’t start so late.

So where’s it from? Some sources make
It out to be an altered “fake,”
Perhaps as used in carny-speak,
But that idea’s a little weak.

It might be from the Latin slang
Cavēre, keeping watch, but dang,
Who knew that folks who love a fight
Could ever be so erudite?

That said, it seems East London Jews
From World War I to World War II
Would say “keep cavey,” based upon
The Latin term, which wasn’t gone.

Of course, it also could turn out
We’re justified in all our doubt.
The coinage might have been opaque
On purpose, as befits a fake.