stooge
/stuːd͡ʒ/ noun, verb
Forms stooges stooging stooged
- noun One who knowingly allows themself to be used for another's profit; a dupe.
- noun (magic) A magician's assistant who pretends to be a member of the audience.
- noun (comedy) A straight man.
- noun A secret informant for police.
- noun (psychology) A confederate; a person who is secretly working for the researcher, unknown to the study participant.
- verb (intransitive) To act as a straight man.
Synonyms
acolyte adjutant aide bootlicker disciple flunkey footman satrap follower henchman hireling inferior lackey lap dog lickspittle man Friday minion myrmidon poodle retainer flunky yes-man butt goat laughingstock
Etymology
Perhaps an abbreviation of Russian студе́нт (studént) [stʊˈdʲent]; the original meaning was “stage assistant, actor who assists a comedian”. It may have been a Yiddish vaudeville term.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “stooge”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details