prank war
Prank war (noun) means an escalating run of practical jokes between two people or groups, each answering the last one with something bigger. Example: “The prank war between the two halls of residence ended with a car in the library foyer.”
How to Use Prank war
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA back-and-forth contest of playing tricks on each other.
Informal.
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The _____ between the two halls of residence ended with a car in the library foyer.
Etymology
A compound of prank and war, using war in its common figurative sense of a sustained back-and-forth contest.
Synonyms
View more →Frequently Asked Questions
How do prank wars usually start?
Almost always with one small joke that the target decides to answer rather than laugh off. Because each side has to top the last effort to keep score, the stakes rise quickly, which is why prank wars tend to end in damage or a ban rather than a truce.
What is the difference between a prank war and bullying?
A prank war runs both ways between roughly equal parties who are both willing participants. Once the jokes travel in one direction only, or the target wants them to stop and they do not, it is bullying regardless of what the person doing it calls it.