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

“I thought they were nightclubs. I was on the bill with a snake charmer once on 52nd Street.”

From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2018

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's never a good idea to annoy a snake charmer, as some government officials learnt the hard way in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2015

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

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