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/
    • (file)
  • Rhymes: -uːd͡ʒ

Noun

stooge (plural stooges)

  1. One who knowingly allows himself or herself to be used for another's profit; a dupe.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:loyal follower
  2. (magic) A magician's assistant who pretends to be a member of the audience.
  3. (comedy) A straight man.
  4. A secret informant for police.
  5. (psychology) A confederate; a person who is secretly working for the researcher, unknown to the study participant.
    Synonym: confederate

Translations

Verb

stooge (third-person singular simple present stooges, present participle stooging, simple past and past participle stooged)

  1. (intransitive) To act as a straight man.

See also

References

  1. Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “stooge”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

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