juggler

American  

[juhg-ler] / ˈdʒʌg lər /

noun

1. a person who performs juggling feats, as with balls or knives.

2. a person who deceives by trickery; trickster.

---

ˈjuggler British  

/ ˈdʒʌɡlə /

noun

1. a person who juggles, esp a professional entertainer

2. a person who fraudulently manipulates facts or figures

---

Etymology

Origin of juggler

before 1100; Middle English jogelour, jogeler, jugelour < Anglo-French jogelour, jugelur, Old French jogleor, jougleor ( jongleur ) ≪ Latin joculātor joker, equivalent to joculā ( rī ) ( juggle ) + -tor -tor; replacing Old English gēogelere magician, cognate with German Gaukler, both directly < Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Barabak: The criticism of this collective field is that it’s terminally boring, as if we’re looking to elect a stand-up comic, a chanteuse or a juggler.

From Los Angeles Times

I believe I can help her, but I must be courageous and smart at the same time, which makes me feel like I am a juggler from the circus.

From Literature

Performance and illusion are recurring themes: A woman is sawed in half in a depiction of classic stagecraft; elsewhere a juggler manipulates ovoids that each contain an everyday vignette.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dating back to the late 18th century, “hoax” seems to derive from what a conjurer or juggler might say, a truncation of “hocus pocus,” utilized to divert the attention of an audience.

From Salon

That magnificence overpowers everything that went before it, which includes fabulous dance, arresting puppetry and outstanding singing actors, including Kang Wang, as Monkey, an impressive juggler in his own right.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• conjurer