joker

See also: Joker and jóker

English

Etymology

joke +‎ -er, but in the sense of a playing card possibly by alteration of Jucker, also the origin of the name of the card game euchre.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒoʊkɚ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊkə(ɹ)

Noun

joker (plural jokers)

1. A person who makes jokes.
2. (slang) A funny person.
3. A jester.

   Synonyms: court jester, fool, jester

4. A playing card that features a picture of a joker (that is, a jester) and that may be used as a wild card in some card games.
5. An unspecified, vaguely disreputable person.

   Some joker keeps throwing eggs at my windows.

6. (New Zealand, colloquial) A man.
7. A clause in a contract that undermines its apparent provisions.
   • 1922, Farm Machinery and Equipment, page lxxxiii:

     Discussion of contracts and the many provisions contained therein led to a vote making it the sense of the convention that manufacturers should use a simple sales contract, free from jokers.

   • 1939, Canadian Parliament, Official Report of Debates, House of Commons, volume 218, page 858:

     Then, sir, on page 12 of the agreement there is a joker clause, which provides for payments in addition to the ten per cent, […]

   • 1942, Billboard, volume 54, number 41, page 5:

     Stone claimed that there was a Joker in the contract, one clause (No. 2) calling for two weeks' notice and another (No. 8) calling for payment on a par-day basis after the first two weeks.

   • 1958, Duncan Leroy Kennedy, Bill drafting, page 12:

     The object of these provisions is to prevent insertion of "jokers" or "sleepers" in bills and securing passage under the false color of the title.

8. (military) A friendly unit that acts as a suspected hostile unit in a military excercise.
   • 1998, APP-6A: Military Symbols for Land-Based Systems, page 9:

     Joker - A friendly track or contact acting as a "suspect" track for exercise purposes only. (STANAG 1241)

Derived terms

• cosmic joker
• joker in the pack
• practical joker
• video joker

 

Related terms

• joke

Translations

person who makes jokes

• Belarusian: жартаўні́к m (žartaŭník), жартаўні́ца f (žartaŭníca)
• Bulgarian: шегоби́ец (bg) m (šegobíec), шегоби́йка f (šegobíjka), шегаджи́я (bg) m (šegadžíja), шегаджи́йка f (šegadžíjka)
• Czech: šprýmař m, šprýmařka f, vtipálek (cs) m
• Danish: spasmager c, spøgefugl c, drillepind c
• Esperanto: ŝercemulo
• Finnish: vitsiniekka (fi), vitsailija (fi)
• French: blagueur (fr) m, farceur (fr) m
• Galician: carallán (gl)
• Georgian: ხუმარა (xumara)
• German: Spaßvogel (de) m
• Ingrian: koiruin
• Irish: áilteoir m
• Italian: buffone (it) m, buffone di corte m
• Kazakh: әзілкеш (äzılkeş)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: نوکتەباز‎ (nuktebaz)

• Latin: ioculātor m
• Latvian: jokdaris (lv) m
• Macedonian: шегобиец m (šegobiec), шегобијка f (šegobijka)
• Maltese: buffu m, buffa f, ċajtier m, ċajtiera f
• Pashto: ټوکي‎ (ps) m (ṭoki)
• Persian: شوخ‎ (fa) (šux)
• Polish: żartowniś (pl) m, dowcipniś (pl) m, błazen (pl) m
• Portuguese: humorista (pt) m or f
• Russian: шутни́к (ru) m (šutník), шутни́ца (ru) f (šutníca)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: vragolan (sh), šutnik, šaljivac (sh)

• Slovak: vtipkár (sk) m
• Slovene: šaljivec m, šaljivka f
• Spanish: bromista (es) m or f, guasón (es) m, chistoso (es) m, humorista m or f
• Swedish: skämtare (sv) c, skojare (sv) c, narr (sv) c
• Turkish: şakacı (tr)
• Ukrainian: жартівни́к m (žartivnýk), жартівни́ця f (žartivnýcja)
• Yiddish: לץ‎ m (lets), לצעכע‎ f (leytsekhe)

jester — see fool

playing card

• Armenian: ջոկեր (hy) (ǰoker)
• Belarusian: джо́кер m (džókjer)
• Bulgarian: жо́кер m (žóker), джо́кер m (džóker)
• Catalan: comodí (ca), jòquer (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 小丑牌 (siu² cau² paai^4-2), 鬼牌 (gwai² paai^4-2), 皇牌 (wong⁴ paai^4-2)

  Mandarin: 皇牌 (huángpái), 鬼牌 (guǐpái), 小丑牌 (xiǎochǒupái), 百搭牌 (bǎidāpái)

• Czech: žolík (cs) m
• Danish: joker c
• Dutch: joker (nl) m
• Esperanto: ĵokero
• Estonian: jokker
• Finnish: jokeri (fi)
• French: joker (fr) m
• Georgian: ჯოკერი (ǯoḳeri)
• German: Joker (de) m, Jolly m
• Greek: μπαλαντέρ (el) m (balantér)
• Hebrew: ג'וֹקֶר‎ m (jóker)
• Hungarian: dzsóker (hu)
• Irish: cleasaí m, fear na gcrúb m, an buachaill mór m
• Italian: jolly (it) m, matta (it)
• Japanese: ジョーカー (ja) (jōkā)
• Korean: 조커 (ko) (jokeo)
• Macedonian: џокер m (džoker)
• Maltese: ġowker
• Maori: kēhua
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: please add this translation if you can

  Roman: džòker (sh) m

• Navajo: jéíg
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: joker (no) m

• Ojibwe: joka
• Persian: جوکر‎ (joker)
• Polish: joker (pl) m, dżoker (pl) m
• Portuguese: curinga (pt) m (Brazil), jóquer (pt) m (Portugal) melé m (regional Brazil)
• Russian: джо́кер (ru) m (džóker)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: џо̀кер m

• Slovak: žolík m
• Slovene: džoker m
• Spanish: comodín (es) m
• Swedish: joker (sv) c
• Turkish: joker (tr)
• Ukrainian: джо́кер m (džóker)

See also

• 🂿, 🃏, 🃟

See also

Playing cards in English · playing cards (layout · text)
ace	deuce, two	three	four	five	six	seven
eight	nine	ten	jack, knave	queen	king	joker

See also

• Wikipedia article on jokers (jesters)
• Wikipedia article on the joker (playing card)
• Wikipedia article on the Joker in Batman

Anagrams

• Rojek, jerko

Danish

Etymology

From English joker.

Noun

joker

1. joker (playing card)

Declension

Declension of joker

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	joker	jokeren	jokere	jokerne
genitive	jokers	jokerens	jokeres	jokernes

Further reading

• “joker” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Etymology

From English joker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjoːkər/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oːkər

Noun

joker m (plural jokers, diminutive jokertje n)

1. joker (playing card)
2. any wild card or similar, even in non-card games

Derived terms

• voor joker staan

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English joker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʒɔ.kɛʁ/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /dʒo.kœʁ/, [dʒoʊ̯.kœʁ]

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Noun

joker m (plural jokers)

1. (card games) joker
2. (computing) wildcard
3. (on a game show) lifeline
4. (Scrabble) blank tile

Further reading

• “joker”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Polish

Alternative forms

• dżoker

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʐɔ.kɛr/
• Rhymes: -ɔkɛr
• Syllabification: jo‧ker

Noun

joker m anim

1. (card games) Alternative spelling of dżoker

Declension

Declension of joker

	singular	plural
nominative	joker	jokery
genitive	jokera	jokerów
dative	jokerowi	jokerom
accusative	jokera	jokery
instrumental	jokerem	jokerami
locative	jokerze	jokerach
vocative	jokerze	jokery

Further reading

• joker in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• joker in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Noun

joker m (plural jokers)

1. Alternative form of jóquer

See also

Playing cards in Portuguese · cartas de baralho (layout · text)
ás	dois, duque	três, terno	quatro, quadra	cinco, quina	seis, sena	sete, bisca, manilha
oito	nove	dez	valete	dama	rei	jóquer, coringa, curinga

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French joker, English joker.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒo.kər/

Noun

joker m (plural jokeri)

1. (card games) joker

Declension

Declension of joker

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) joker	jokerul	(niște) jokeri	jokerii
genitive/dative	(unui) joker	jokerului	(unor) jokeri	jokerilor
vocative	jokerule		jokerilor