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Glite Dictionary
dido

dido

9.9
A small playful trick someone does to make others laugh
  • noun
  • /ˈdaɪdoʊ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : broma
  • He was always pulling some dido to make his friends laugh.

Examples

  • Their harmless dido brought smiles to everyone in the room.

  • That was a clever dido!

  • The children were scolded for their latest dido at school.

  • The children played a dido on their unsuspecting friends.

  • The children played a dido on their unsuspecting friends, hiding their toys and pretending they had vanished.

  • His dido during the party involved sneaking up behind someone to scare them, resulting in laughter all around.

  • After a series of harmless didos, the group decided to prank their teacher with a surprise birthday celebration.

Synonyms

trick
vsdido
  • Informal
74 1.6

A playful act done to surprise or make people laugh

is lighter and more playful rather than grotesque or extreme
cantrip
vsdido
  • Archaic
9.9

A playful trick done to amuse or surprise someone without causing harm

is now rare in modern use, unlike the linked expression
waggery
vsdido
  • Archaic
9.9

Playful acts that tease people in a friendly way

is a single playful act rather than ongoing mischievous behaviour

How Mischievous

stunt
300 4.9
dido
  • Archaic
9.9
prank
  • Informal
202 3.2
gag
70 3.7

Surface Forms

dido singular
didos plural

Etymology

Dido probably grew from playful words like diddle or from the short word do meaning an action, so you can remember it as a small, cheeky 'do' that tricks someone. That's why a dido is a light, mischievous 'trick'.