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wag

wag

15 7.5
A person who likes to tell jokes to make people laugh
  • noun
  • /wæɡ/
translation icon : gracioso
  • Local wags, who have dubbed it the Tin Goose, find it particularly amusing that what Mr. Tucker calls the car of tomorrow can't even back up.
  • a wag

Examples

  • At the party, a wag entertained everyone with his humorous impersonations.

  • That was a WAG on Doctor Frosh's part.

  • Though known at the time as simply the "District," local wags quickly dubbed the area Storyville.

    Academic text (2002)
  • ("What do you suppose is his real name?" the village wags whispered.) Polly

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Clem barked a greeting at her car door, tail wagging, and he saw Allie wave from inside the car.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • "A witty wag in our group always has a clever joke to share during meetings."

  • Everyone loves to hear the stories of the wag who can make any situation funny.

Synonyms

card
vswag
  • Archaic
344 7.7

A funny person who behaves in a strange and entertaining way

enjoys joking in a witty not mainly eccentric or odd fashion
wit
vswag
53 4.8

A person who thinks quickly and says clever, funny things

focuses on enjoying jokes and being amusing rather than clever wordplay
humorist
vswag
  • US
12 5.0

A person who makes people laugh by telling funny stories or jokes

enjoys making jokes socially rather than creating humor as a profession
jokester
vswag
7 4.4

A person who often makes other people laugh

enjoys clever or witty joking rather than mainly playing pranks
funnyman
vswag
5 3.7

A man who makes people laugh by telling jokes or acting in a silly way

enjoys joking informally rather than performing for audiences as a job
wagger
vswag
1 9.0

A person who tells quick jokes to make people laugh

enjoys making jokes for fun rather than focusing on witty remarks
wisecracker
vswag
  • Informal
1 7.1

A person who often makes short funny or sarcastic remarks

enjoys amusing others but without the usual sarcastic or biting edge
quipster
vswag
7.9

A person who often makes short clever remarks

enjoys joking generally rather than mainly offering short clever lines

Idioms

to wag the dog
  • Literature
1 8.8

Make people focus on something less important to hide a bigger problem

Pretend to be ill to avoid going to work or school

Compounds

chin-wag
  • Slang
1 8.4

A friendly relaxed chat between people, often over coffee

8.2

A friendly informal chat between people who know each other

How Funny

wit
163 4.0
wag
15 7.5
joker
35 2.4
prankster
24 4.1

Surface Forms

wag singular
wags plural

Etymology

Wag The word wag for a funny person comes from the older idea of being lively and playful. A helpful way to remember it is to think of someone who 'wags' their words like a dog 'wags' its tail, so a wag is a joking, merry person.