prank

Related to prank: Prank call

play a prank (on one)

To carry out a trick, deception, or practical joke (at one's expense). It turns out that the supposed alien visitors that people had been seeing were just a bunch of teenagers playing an elaborate prank. I've got a great plan to play a prank on the school for April Fools' Day.
See also: play, prank

pull a prank (on someone)

To carry out a trick, deception, or practical joke (against someone). It turns out that the supposed alien visitors that people had been seeing were just a bunch of teenagers pulling a prank on the town. I've got a great plan to pull a prank on the school for April Fools' Day. The fake article had been in print in the renowned scientific journal for more than a week before its author revealed that he had pulled a prank when he decided to submit it.
See also: prank, pull
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

play a trick on someone

 and play a prank on someone
to do a trick that affects someone. Somebody played a trick on me by hiding my shoes. The little boys planned to play a trick on their teacher by turning up the heat in the classroom.
See also: on, play, trick
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • play a prank (on one)
  • play a trick (on one)
  • play a trick on
  • play tricks on
  • pull a hoax (on someone)
  • pull a prank (on someone)
  • pull a trick (on someone)
  • pull a stunt (on someone)
  • pull a fast one
  • pull a fast one (on someone)
References in periodicals archive
Overall, this study of pranks is engrossing in the fullest meaning of the term.
The father told the investigators that his son downloaded the application and called his friend as part of a prank and that he meant to have fun and tease him.
The Black Magic singers, due at Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena on their Get Weird tour in March, then burst back into the room to reveal the drama had been a prank - but it was too late for Jackie, who was already in tears.
Actor and comedian Drew Carey offered a $ 10,000 reward to anyone who would help police find the teenagers who pranked a boy with autism by pouring urine and feces over his head in mockery of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
"Not only will Barefoot Wine get a lot of media exposure and the broad distribution that we're going to bring to the table with the Prank It Fwd promotion, but also they're going to get positive media attention that's going to benefit their brand," Barry Blumberg, evp of Defy Media, explained.
Elsewhere, there were reports of pranks going bad this year, including one in South Carolina that ended with a woman under arrest after her text message sent sheriffs to what they thought was a school shooting.
The trio are the latest in a number of celebrities to fall victim to a 'swatting' prank, following a similar incident at Paris Hilton's home recently and Tom Cruise's Beverly Hills home in January when a prank caller claimed an armed robbery was taking place, but officers found no crime had been committed.
The success of Prank Patrol Australia is emblematic of various trends in contemporary 0children's television.
tw on of C Mc C Young, Maidstone, Kent MAYBE time to end prank calls once and for all?
Canberra : Two Australian radio announcers who made a prank call to a British hospital treating Prince William's pregnant wife Kate broke a three-day silence yesterday to speak of their distress at the apparent suicide of the nurse who took their call.
The people who carried out the prank were two Australian DJs.
"A good prank is part of the dressing-room culture in the British game, so footballers are more than qualified to star in the show."
Link to android market: December 16, 2011- Webelinx has launched a new application that contains the largest collection of funny prank videos for android mobile phones.
" The genuine cases are also getting affected due to this menace." He said the number of prank calls was on the rise of late and it was found out that these calls were from either mischief mongers or children.
The best explanation the council has been able to come up with is that some joker must have taken it upon themselves to play an April Fool prank - nearly a month late.