the.com/mischievous

the gleam in the eye that means the rules are about to take a beating

means Causing playful or annoying trouble on purpose, usually with more cheek than malice.

from From the Old French 'meschever,' to come to grief or end badlybuilt from 'mes-' (badly) and 'chever,' to happen or reach an end, itself a cousin of 'achieve' through Latin 'caput' (head). The word once meant genuine misfortune and harm; over the centuries the disaster shrank into roguishness, so what once meant 'something terrible has befallen you' now means 'someone is about to put a frog in your shoe.' (And note: it ends '-ievous,' not '-ievious' — the extra syllable everyone sneaks in is itself a small act of mischief.)

spelling trapThree syllables, not four; no sneaky extra i
old rootsFrom Old French meschever, to come to grief
darker pastOnce meant disastrous or causing real harm
cousin wordShares its core with mischief and achieve
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