Jackanapes (noun)
jak-u-nay-ps
A cheeky or impertinent person.
Early 16th century (originally as Jack Napes): perhaps from a playful name for a tame ape, the initial n- by elision of an ape (compare with newt), and the final -s as in surnames such as Hobbes: applied to a person whose behaviour resembled that of an ape.
Example sentences
“The grinning jackanapes is unstoppable and half mad with power.”
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