trickster

English edit

Loki, a trickster figure of Norse mythology, cuts the hair of the goddess Sif

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Trickster

Wikipedia

Etymology edit

From trick +‎ -ster.

Noun edit

trickster (plural tricksters)

(mythology, literature) Any of numerous figures featuring in various mythologies and folk traditions, who use guile and secret knowledge to challenge authority and play tricks and pranks on others; any similar figure in literature.
- 1991, Alan R. Velie (compiler and editor), American Indian Literature: An Anthology, Revised edition, page 44,
  The trickster is one of the oldest and most widespread of mythological and literary figures. […] As the name implies, the trickster is, on one level—probably the most important—an amoral practical joker who wanders about playing pranks on unsuspecting victims […] With all the fluctuations, certain things about the trickster are predictable: he is always a wanderer, always hungry, and usually oversexed.
  
  Tricksters abound in folktales […] .
- 2015, J. Douglas Canfield, Tricksters and Estates: On the Ideology of Restoration Comedy‎^[1], page 31:
  And let us begin with those sympathetic elements, the tricksters who obtain the lovers and the land, always at the expense of fools and knaves, sometimes at the expense of other tricksters.
One who plays tricks or pranks on others.
One who performs tricks (parts of a magician' act or entertaining difficult physical actions).
An impish or playful person.
A fraud (person who performs a trick for the purpose of unlawful gain).

Synonyms edit

(one who plays tricks on others): prankster, tricker
(one who performs tricks): tricker

Related terms edit

Translations edit

mythological or literary figure

Finnish: veijari (fi)
Italian: folletto (it) m, spiritello m, gnomo (it) m, coboldo (it) m, diavoletto (it) m
Japanese: トリックスター (torikkusutā)
Latin: magus
Macedonian: три́кстер m (tríkster)
Russian: три́кстер (ru) m (tríkster)
Spanish: trasgo (es)

one who plays tricks on others

Bulgarian: мошеник (bg) m (mošenik)
German: Schwindler (de) m, Gauner (de) m, Trickbetrüger m
Ingrian: pilluri
Irish: áilteoir m, bobaire m, ^{(please verify)} anstrólaí m
Latin: trīcō m
Macedonian: и́змамник m (ízmamnik)
Maori: kaiwhakangaio
Swedish: lurifax (sv) c
Welsh: castiwr m, chwaraewr triciau m

one who performs tricks

Bulgarian: фокусник (bg) m (fokusnik)
Esperanto: trompisto
Finnish: temppuilija (fi)
French: filou (fr) m, tricheur (fr) m
Galician: bromista (gl) m or f
German: Betrüger (de) m, Gauner (de) m, Schwindler (de) m
Italian: imbroglione (it), lestofante (it) m, truffatore (it) m
Macedonian: магио́ничар m (magióničar)
Russian: ловка́ч (ru) m (lovkáč), обма́нщик (ru) m (obmánščik) (cheat)
Sanskrit: मायिन् (sa) m (māyin)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: мађио̀нича̄р m

Roman: mađiòničār (sh) m

impish or playful person

Cheyenne: vé'ho'e
Finnish: veijari (fi)
Irish: anstrólaí m, spaisteoir m, tumlálaí m, cleasaí m
Italian: indiavolato (it) m
Macedonian: па́лавник m (pálavnik), па́лавко m (pálavko), шего́биец m (šegóbiec), шега́џија m (šegádžija)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: враго̀ла̄н m, ша̀љивац m

Roman: vragòlān (sh) m, šàljivac (sh) m
Spanish: engañabobos (es) m or f
Swedish: joker (sv) c

fraud — see fraud

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Irish: ^{(please verify)} abhógaí m, ^{(please verify)} aisiléir m, ^{(please verify)} asarlaí m, ^{(please verify)} buachaill báire m, ^{(please verify)} ceardaí m, ^{(please verify)} cladhaire m, ^{(please verify)} cleasaí m, ^{(please verify)} cliútach m, ^{(please verify)} coileán m, ^{(please verify)} draíodóir m, ^{(please verify)} draoi, ^{(please verify)} drochairleacán m, ^{(please verify)} fear cleas m, ^{(please verify)} fear cordaí m, ^{(please verify)} fleascach m, ^{(please verify)} gleacaí m, ^{(please verify)} leidhcéir m, ^{(please verify)} leorthóir m, ^{(please verify)} ógánach m, ^{(please verify)} tréitheadóir m, ^{(please verify)} truiceadóir m
Korean: ^{(please verify)} 사기꾼 (ko) (sagikkun)
Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 詐欺者／诈欺者, ^{(please verify)} 诈欺者
Norman: ^{(please verify)} attrapeux m (Jersey), ^{(please verify)} tricacheux m (Jersey), ^{(please verify)} tritcheux m (Jersey)
Telugu: ^{(please verify)} జిత్తులమారి (te) (jittulamāri), ^{(please verify)} టక్కరి (te) (ṭakkari)

Verb edit

trickster (third-person singular simple present tricksters, present participle trickstering, simple past and past participle trickstered)

(intransitive) To engage in the antics of a trickster; to play tricks.