stooge

English

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stuːd͡ʒ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (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

one who knowingly allows himself or herself to be used for another's profit

• Bulgarian: марионетка (bg) f (marionetka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 走狗 (zh) (zǒugǒu)

• Czech: loutka (cs) f, panák (cs) m, poskok (cs) m
• German: Marionette (de) f
• Hungarian: stróman (hu), bérenc (hu), báb (hu), csicska (hu), pribék (hu)
• Macedonian: марионе́та f (marionéta)
• Russian: марионетка (ru) (marionetka)
• Spanish: marioneta f

dupe — see also dupe

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 走狗 (zh) (zǒugǒu), 走卒 (zh) (zǒuzú), 傀儡 (zh) (kuǐlěi), 狗爪子 (gǒuzhuǎzi), 跟屁蟲／跟屁虫 (zh) (gēnpìchóng)

• Finnish: lammas (fi)
• French: dupe (fr) f, pion (fr) m, pigeon (fr) m, larbin (fr) m, laquais (fr) m
• German: Handlanger (de) m, Handlangerin f, Strohmann (de) m, Strohfrau f, Jasager (de) m, Hiwi (de) m
• Hungarian: balek (hu), palimadár (hu)
• Japanese: 引き立て役 (ひきたてやく, hikitateyaku), 手先 (ja) (てさき, tesaki), 操り人形 (ja) (あやつりにんぎょう, ayatsuri ningyō)
• Polish: marionetka (pl) f, pionek (pl) m
• Russian: марионе́тка (ru) f (marionétka), подпева́ла (ru) m or f (podpevála), лаке́й (ru) m (lakéj), шестёрка (ru) m or f (šestjórka) (colloquial, lit.: "number six")
• Slovak: prisluhovač m, poskok m
• Spanish: primo (es) m, iluso (es) m
• Turkish: âlet olan kimse, yaltakçı (tr), yardakçı (tr)

straight man — see straight man

secret informant for police

• Bulgarian: доносник (bg) m (donosnik)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 密探 (zh) (mìtàn), 告密者 (zh) (gàomìzhě)

• Czech: udavač (cs) m, práskač m
• Finnish: vasikka (fi)
• German: Spitzel (de) m, Polizeispitzel (de) m
• Hungarian: besúgó (hu), spicli (hu), (mole) tégla (hu), (undercover) beépített ember
• Macedonian: потка́жувач m (potkážuvač)
• Russian: осведоми́тель (ru) m (osvedomítelʹ), осведоми́тельница (ru) f (osvedomítelʹnica), стука́ч (ru) m (stukáč) (colloquial, pejorative), доносчик (ru) (donosčik)
• Slovak: donášač m, donášačka f, konfident m, konfidentka f, špiceľ m
• Spanish: confidente (es)
• Turkish: casus (tr)

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

• claque

Anagrams

• Otsego, goes to