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Synonyms

practical joke

American  

noun

  1. a playful trick, often involving some physical agent or means, in which the victim is placed in an embarrassing or disadvantageous position.

practical joke British  

noun

  1. a prank or trick usually intended to make the victim appear foolish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of practical joke

First recorded in 1840–50

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.