Practical joke

The prank (even practical jokes, prank and joke ) is a mischievous, cunning or deceitful action against another that has no serious legal consequences.

Etymology

The noun prank meant at first - and to date - (. Cf. Engl to strike ) also " blow, blow " and found since the 15th century frequent use in the composition slap. In the 17th century it became the unexpected shock or surprising things in importance, such as the military coup. The phrase " play a prank on someone " dates from the 18th century. ( Jokus derives from the Latin iocus from. The origin of the word mischief is unclear. Joke is originally by the students from the Low German language, meaning " noise, restlessness, Handel ". )

Special tricks

A match in the sense of practical jokes is found in the Gotham brushing and brushing with the Swabians. Nowadays there are still ringing telephone pranks and practical jokes particularly popular with children, at high schools often have Abistreiche tradition.

Legal Aspects

Legally can a match among other claims for compensation or a complaint for libel, pull harassment to the public upon itself. Until the 1970s there was the fact of roughly mischief in the German Code of Administrative Offences, which falls today under the general harassment.

In particular, pranks, in which the addressee is physically come close to how the Japanese Kancho, or known in the Anglo- Saxon World Wedgie are, in this respect be treated with caution.