Prank v.s. Mischief

Question

Prank v.s. Mischief, which is more serious?

1) In English in general
2) In North America
3) In lyrics

My understanding is that prank is more of a well-planed event (I associate it with an adult e.g. My friends pulled a prank on me) where as mischief is more for overly active kids destroying things around the house...

In my mind, for some reason the word Prank is associated with more serious repercussion than the word Mischief. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, in the dictionary, Mischief has a few legal definitions, do you normally associate the word with its legal implications or just use it as a day-to-day term.

P.S. I'm trying to translate some lyrics in Chinese. "I walk into your [prank/mischief/mischievousness]". They all sound a bit awkward (it’s a love song) but which one do you think is the lesser evil.

Thanks in advance.

Benita · Accepted Answer

While both are used more or less in the same sense (and same intensity), the word 'mischief' is sometimes used to express slightly more serious pranks.

Marius Hancu · Answer

Mischief is more general (and "worse"): evil, harm, injury done to someone, beside the meaning of prank.

When using words, you need to consider all their meanings, because although they may not be used in the context, they come in the background of your mind, when interpreting the sentence. Use the words which have the least meanings and more clarity in the subject at hand.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I'd go with "mischievousness" which, despite the dictionary definition, in my experiene (American) has only a playful sense. While "mischief" CAN be more serious or more ill-intentioned, often mischief is thought of as, say, small boys not intent on causing harm, but just acting the way small boys act. Don't mix up the common use ("Those boys sure can get into some mischief!") with the legal use of "malicious mischief" where there is no sense of playfulness at all!

But "mischievous" is (at least in America) not thought of as intending to cause real harm - it's playful, if sometimes irresponsible. Her mischievous smile.

Nona the brit · Answer

I would say that mischief is fairly innocent - something we associate with children's spur-of-the-moment naughtiness.

Prank - this suggests an element of deliberate planning.

'Trick' would seem to fit better into the original context, to me anyway.

Marius Hancu · Answer

The meanings at 2-5 here show mischief may be very serious in many contexts.
Only 6 is benign, on the level of prank.

Also, look at the etymology.

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mis·chief

Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): -s
Etymology: Middle English meschief, mischef, from Old French meschief calamity, misfortune, from mes- ¹mis- + chef, chief end, head -- more at CHIEF

1 obsolete : CALAMITY : misfortune<to mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to draw new mischief on -- Shakespeare>

2 a : a specific injury or damage caused by a person or other agency <will never forget the mischiefs they have done to us> <the polished floor ... often causes mischiefs -- bruises, sprains, dislocations -- Herbert Spencer> b : harm, evil, or damage that results from a particular agency or cause <one failure led to another, suspicion became general, and the mischief was done -- J.A.Todd> <the concealment of a truth, with its resultant false beliefs, must produce mischief -- G.B.Shaw>

3 : a diseased condition : a cause of sickness <the mischief is out of your system, and all you have to do is to build your system up -- John Buchan>

4 a : a cause or source of harm, evil, or irritation; especially : a person who causes http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?book=Third&va=mischief<housing in rocks, of mariners the mischief -- Robert Browning> <he's a real mischief to his family> b : the aspect of a situation or the quality of a thing that produces harm or causes irritation <the mischief of snow is that it turns to slush> <the mischief is that people ... do not confine themselves to one cocktail -- Arnold Bennett>

5 : DEVIL<an accident that played the mischief with his plans> <can't see why in the mischief you ever got mixed up with that reform gang -- Willa Cather>

6 a : action or conduct that annoys or irritates wihout causing or meaning to cause serious harm <little wretches, always up to some mischief ... all bedraggled from some roguery -- Virginia Woolf> <a seasonal ritual among Rochester's youth, like today's Halloween mischiefs -- S.H.Adams> b : MISCHIEVOUSNESS<inclined to mischief rather than malice -- American Guide Series: Arizona> <a defiance, offered from sheer, youthful, wanton mischief -- Arnold Bennett>

7 : DISCORD, DISSENSION<has often made mischief between husband and wife> <stirred up mischief between the young people>

synonym see INJURY

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Nona the brit · Answer

There are several meanings for mischief, but meaning 6 is the primary one. You rarely hear the other meanings used.

Prank v.s. Mischief

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