Stooges

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who serve as compliant subordinates or helpers to a more powerful person or group
2. individuals who are easily manipulated for the amusement or agenda of others
3. often used in humorous contexts to describe those who unwittingly play the fool or act clumsily

Etymology: The noun "stooges" is simply the plural of "stooge," so the story belongs to the singular. In the theatre, a stooge was originally a stage assistant, an actor who fed lines to a comedian or played the straight man who made the star look clever. The sense of a dupe or a puppet for someone more powerful came later, as the figure of the helper who does the bidding of a headliner was applied to politics and business. The origin is uncertain. One suggestion is that the word abbreviates the Russian "studént," meaning "student," which seems an odd source until one remembers that the word may have travelled through Yiddish vaudeville, where it was used as a term for performers. Because the link rests on a guess about how the word moved between languages, it is best treated as a plausible but unproven pathway.

Synonyms: aides, assistants, followers, lackeys, subordinates

Antonyms: leaders, masters, chiefs, directors, commanders