stooge
English
Etymology
Perhaps an abbreviation of Russian студе́нт (studént) [stʊˈdʲent]; the original meaning was “stage assistant, actor who assists a comedian”.[1] It may have been a Yiddish vaudeville term.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /stuːd͡ʒ/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- Rhymes: -uːd͡ʒ
Noun
stooge (plural stooges)
- One who knowingly allows himself or herself to be used for another's profit; a dupe.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:loyal follower
- (magic) A magician's assistant who pretends to be a member of the audience.
- (comedy) A straight man.
- A secret informant for police.
- (psychology) A confederate; a person who is secretly working for the researcher, unknown to the study participant.
- Synonym: confederate
Translations
one who knowingly allows himself or herself to be used for another's profit
dupe — see also dupe
|
straight man — see straight man
secret informant for police
|
Verb
stooge (third-person singular simple present stooges, present participle stooging, simple past and past participle stooged)
- (intransitive) To act as a straight man.
See also
References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “stooge”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
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