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 badly — built 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 trap
- Three syllables, not four; no sneaky extra i
- old roots
- From Old French meschever, to come to grief
- darker past
- Once meant disastrous or causing real harm
- cousin word
- Shares its core with mischief and achieve
loki in norse mythology — trickster god who caused mischief including the death of baldur and triggering ragnarok
bugs bunny — looney tunes character famous for outsmarting hunters and adversaries with elaborate practical jokes since 1940