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

In the booth, Suga Free could make street anthems out of beats that sounded made for a polyrhythmic Marrakech snake charmer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2023

Camels that strolled along the side of the road in Multan can be ridden into the Arabian Sea on Clifton Beach, where a snake charmer will play music to a hissing black cobra.

From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2022

Zoe Ziegfeld, a 35-year-old resident of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, is still working as a nanny but lost all of her performance work, including her occasional gig as a snake charmer with The Metropolitan Opera.

From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2021

Another thing no one saw: Peter’s role as a snake charmer in Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” music video, which didn’t make the final cut.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2018

Breathing hard, bent over Tessie with trembling concentration, he moved the clarinet in circles, like a snake charmer.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides