banter
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Banter \Ban"ter\ (b[a^]n"t[~e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bantered}
(b[a^]n"t[~e]rd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Bantering}.] [Prob.
corrupted fr. F. badiner to joke, or perh. fr. E. bandy to
beat to and fro. See {Badinage}, and cf. {Barter} fr. OF.
barater.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To address playful good-natured ridicule to, -- the person
addressed, or something pertaining to him, being the
subject of the jesting; to rally; as, he bantered me about
my credulity.
[1913 Webster]
Hag-ridden by my own fancy all night, and then
bantered on my haggard looks the next day. --W.
Irving.
[1913 Webster]
2. To jest about; to ridicule in speaking of, as some trait,
habit, characteristic, and the like. [Archaic]
[1913 Webster]
If they banter your regularity, order, and love of
study, banter in return their neglect of them.
--Chatham.
[1913 Webster]
3. To delude or trick, -- esp. by way of jest. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
We diverted ourselves with bantering several poor
scholars with hopes of being at least his lordship's
chaplain. --De Foe.
[1913 Webster]
4. To challenge or defy to a match. [Colloq. Southern and
Western U. S.]
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
102 Moby Thesaurus words for "banter":
backchat, badinage, beard, blandish, blarney, booing, brave,
buffoonery, cajole, catcalling, chaff, chaffing, challenge,
chitchat, clownishness, con, dare, defy, deride, derision,
exchange, face, fleering, flippancy, fool, foolery, fooling, front,
fun, give-and-take, gossip, gossipry, grinning, guy, harlequinade,
haze, hissing, hooting, horseplay, jape, jeering, jest, jesting,
jive, joke, joking, jolly, josh, joshing, kid, kidding, leering,
levity, make fun of, make merry with, mock, mockery, monkeyshines,
needle, outface, panning, persiflage, pleasantry, poke fun at,
put on, quiz, rag, ragging, raillery, rally, rallying, razz,
razzing, repartee, rib, ribbing, ride, ridicule, roast, roasting,
satirize, scoffing, shenanigans, small talk, smart-aleckiness,
smartness, smirking, sneering, snickering, sniggering, snorting,
soft-soap, sweet-talk, taunt, taunting, tease, teasing, tomfoolery,
twit, twitting, venture, wheedle
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