snake charmer

American  

noun

1. an entertainer who seems to charm venomous snakes, usually by music.

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snake charmer British  

noun

1. an entertainer, esp in Asia, who charms or appears to charm snakes by playing music and by rhythmic body movements

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Etymology

Origin of snake charmer

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

snake charmer

It was packed with clichés the West liked - the Indian royalty, a tiger hunt, mating cobras and a snake charmer.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2023

Gold’s industry peers liken the way she does her job to the practice of an alchemist, a snake charmer, a card sharp, as if she were performing some kind of shadowy magic.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 26, 2018

It opens with what sounds like the call of a snake charmer, a staccato synth-clarinet that also hints at 1950s cartoon music and a fast-tempoed sprint of rhythm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2014

The chief snake charmer, wearing a bright red turban and playing a flute, entranced a cobra as it curled from a wicker basket.

From New York Times ● May 19, 2013

And the whole time I was chasing things, I was thinking that Otis must be some kind of snake charmer, the way he could play his guitar and make all the animals turn to stone.

From "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo