perisher

1 9.9

A person, often a child, who is naughty and annoys others

noun
/ˈpɛrɪʃə/

Slang

: travieso

That little boy is such a perisher; he always gets into trouble at school.

Examples

When I catch up with that little perisher, I'll wring his useless neck!

Force 10 from Navarone (1978)
My neighbor's daughter is a real perisher, making noise and playing tricks on everyone.
Don't be such a perisher; nobody likes playing with someone who causes trouble.

Synonyms

blighter

vsperisher

Offensive

1 9.5

A person who often annoys or causes trouble

is used more for a mischievous child rather than someone annoyingly persistent

spalpeen

vsperisher

Archaic

1 9.9

A playful person often a boy who causes small trouble

is more modern British and can mean any disagreeable or troublesome person

Antonyms

angel

Informal

507 1.0

A very kind person who helps others

How Troublesome

menace

84 4.4

troublemaker

Offensive

61 4.1

perisher

Slang

1 9.9

nuisance

62 3.6

Surface Forms

perisher singular

perishers plural

Morphology

perisher = perish (opaque) = perish + er

Although formally built from 'perish' + '-er', the informal British sense 'mischievous/troublesome person' does not follow the meaning 'one who dies' and reflects slangy sense shift.

Etymology

Perisher is an informal British word for a naughty or troublesome person. A helpful way to remember it is to link it to perish ('to die' or 'be ruined'): think of someone who 'spoils' calm or 'ruins' things, which is why perisher can mean a mischievous child or a disagreeable person.