n. 25B6; noun
a circus clown : COMIC ENTERTAINER, comedian; historical jester, fool, zany; archaic merry andrew.
the class clown : JOKER, comedian, comic, humorist, wag, wit, prankster, jester, buffoon; informal laugh, kidder, wisecracker; Austral./NZ informal hard case.
bureaucratic clowns : FOOL, idiot, dolt, ass, simpleton, ignoramus; bungler, blunderer; informal moron, jackass, chump, numbskull, nincompoop, halfwit, bonehead, fathead, birdbrain; Brit. informal prat, berk, twit, nitwit, twerp.
25B6; verb Harvey clowned around : FOOL AROUND/ABOUT, play the fool, play about/around, monkey about/around; joke, jest; informal mess about/around, lark (about/around), horse about/around; Brit. informal muck about/around; dated play the giddy goat.