stooge
/stuːdʒ
/noun
1 derogatory A subordinate used by another to do unpleasant routine work: party stooges put there to do a job on behalf of central office...
- We need to start a special project documenting political party stooges in the media.
- Yes, obviously he was a stooge for the Republican Party.
- Unless a lot more people decide to stand as independents, and most of them get voted in in place of the traditional party stooges, there isn't a great deal we, as voters, can do.
Synonyms
underling, minion, lackey, subordinate, assistant;
henchman, myrmidon;
puppet, pawn, cat's paw, instrument, tool, creature
informal sidekick, skivvy
British informal dogsbody, poodle
2A performer whose act involves being the butt of a comedian’s jokes: the stooge is offstage...
- The cheeky glove puppet fox hosts a variety and sketch show format - a procession of comic stooges play straight man and second fiddle to his antics.
- As the film progresses, a one-way process of the performance is firmly established, involving the humiliation of Judy as the stooge.
Synonyms
butt, foil, straight man
verb [no object]
1 informal Move about aimlessly; drift or cruise: she stooged around in the bathroom for a while...
- We stooged around for a while, treading air, then fired the burner, to give us a few hours of heat.
- As Viola, she delivers the bard's verses with an uncommon fluency as she stooges across the stage.
- Well, if you couldn't be there in person, celebrating England's triumph over their traditional cricketing foe while stooging around the Caribbean would take some beating.
2Perform a role that involves being the butt of a comedian’s jokes: (as noun stooging) his accent became popular through his stooging for comedians
Origin
Early 20th century: of unknown origin.