practical joke
Sign in to saveAlso known as jape, shenanigan, gag, joke, prank, trick
act meant to produce humor by causing annoyance, alarm, confusion, discomfort, or embarrassment, but no lasting harm
~8 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Practical joke involving completely blocking someone's doorway with phone books A practical joke or prank is a trick played on people, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, discomfort, or irritation. The perpetrator of a practical joke is called a "practical joker" or "prankster". Other terms for practical jokes include gag, jape and shenanigan. Some countries in western nations make it tradition to carry out pranks on April Fools' Day and Mischief Night.
Purpose
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “practical joke” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.