JOKER


Meaning of JOKER in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈjō-kər ]

noun

Date: 1729

1.

a. : a person given to joking : wag

b. : fellow , guy ; especially : an insignificant, obnoxious, or incompetent person

a shame to let a joker like this win — Harold Robbins

2. : a playing card added to a pack as a wild card or as the highest-ranking card

3.

a.

(1) : an ambiguous or apparently immaterial clause inserted in a legislative bill to make it inoperative or uncertain in some respect

(2) : an unsuspected, misleading, or misunderstood clause, phrase, or word in a document that nullifies or greatly alters it

b. : something (as an expedient or stratagem) held in reserve to gain an end or escape from a predicament

c. : an unsuspected or not readily apparent fact, factor, or condition that thwarts or nullifies a seeming advantage

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.