What does knavery mean in Shakespeare?

The noun knavery comes from knave, an old-fashioned word meaning "rascal or rogue." Shakespeare was especially famous for using knave as an insult, and knavery reflects this sense of a foolish and terrible person who's up to no good.
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What does knavery mean?

Definition of knavery

1a : rascality. b : a roguish or mischievous act. 2 obsolete : roguish mischief. Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More About knavery.
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How do you use knavery in a sentence?

lack of honesty; acts of lying or cheating or stealing. 1, Folly is the cloke of knavery. 2, Knavery may serve, but honesty is best. 4, Folly is the cloak of knavery.
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What type of word is knavery?

noun, plural knav·er·ies. action or practice characteristic of a knave. unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest dealing; trickery.
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What does knave mean in Romeo and Juliet?

In Shakespeare, an important person like a king or a prince might call a thief a knave. Knaves always tend to be up to trouble. You don't want to trust a knave; knaves lie, deceive, and betray.
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What is a female knave?

The word originally referred to a child of either sex. Back then, prior to the sixteenth century, girls generally were divided into knave girls, which were boys, and gay girls, which were female girls. Once the word became limited to females, a host of more-or-less negative meanings became attached to it.
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What does knave and nave mean?

A knave is someone (usually a man) who has no morals or ethics, is dishonest or deceitful. It is also the name for a Jack in a deck of playing cards. A nave is a hub of a wheel or the part of a church that is long and narrow.
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How do you pronounce knavery?

Break 'knavery' down into sounds: [NAY] + [VUH] + [REE] - say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.
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What is the synonym of knavery?

noun. 1'no system can protect a fool from the knavery of others' villainy, unscrupulousness, baseness, roguishness, badness, wickedness, viciousness, iniquity, depravity, evil, vileness, devilishness, rascality, delinquency, corruption, corruptness.
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What does pauperism mean in history?

Pauperism (Lat. pauper, poor) is a term meaning poverty or generally the state of being poor, but in English usage particularly the condition of being a "pauper", i.e. in receipt of relief administered under the English Poor Laws.
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What is the opposite of knave?

Opposite of an unkind, evil or unscrupulous person. angel. gentleman. humanitarian. hero.
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What does rascality mean?

Definition of rascality

1 : rabble. 2a : the character or actions of a rascal : knavery. b : a rascally act.
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What type of word is afeard?

afraid.
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Who is a slanderer?

/ˈslæn.dɚ.ɚ/ a person who slanders someone (= damages their reputation by making a false spoken statement about them): I described him as a serial slanderer who poisoned political debate.
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What does skulduggery mean dictionary?

Definition of skulduggery

: underhanded or unscrupulous behavior also : a devious device or trick.
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What's a synonym for shenanigans?

monkeying, monkeyshine(s), skylarking, tomfoolery.
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Is Nefariously a word?

Meaning of nefariously in English. in a morally bad way: People who want to make money nefariously still view this as an opportunity.
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What does play the Knave mean?

Play the Knave* is a mixed reality video game that enables virtual design and performance of dramatic scenes from Shakespeare--or any text you choose!
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What is the synonym of Frank?

candid, direct, forthright, plain, plain-spoken, straight, straightforward, straight from the shoulder, explicit, unequivocal, unambiguous, unvarnished, bald, to the point, no-nonsense, matter-of-fact. open, honest, truthful, sincere, guileless, artless.
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What is a knave in Old English?

1 : a tricky deceitful fellow. 2 : jack sense 2a. 3 archaic. a : a boy servant.
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Can a woman be a knave?

If you had to differentiate between them, male children were referred to as 'knave girls' and females were 'gay girls'. Equally, a boy could be called a 'knave child' and a girl a 'maiden child'.
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Is knave an insult?

Knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered base, dishonest, or worthless. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention: a dishonest and swindling knave.
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Can a girl be called a youth?

Originally Answered: What age do you become a woman? People typically call teenagers girls, not women – hence the term teenage girl. Young people are considered teenagers between age 13 and 19. This would imply that you become an adult, and hence a woman, when you turn 20.
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Did boy use Mean girls?

The origins of the word 'girl' shows that it had nothing to do with gender and used to denote both young men and women even 700 years ago. The origins of the word 'girl' shows that it had nothing to do with gender and used to denote both young men and women even 700 years ago.
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Is knave a Scrabble word?

KNAVE is a valid scrabble word.
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