banterers

-- There is a sort of fellows they call banterers and bamboozlers that play such tricks, but it seems these fellows were in earnest.

History of John Bull John Arbuthnot 1701

If we've come to the point where the banterers are having to explain and apologise for their jokes, then presumably the joy of the thing – the roaring of rape humour across a crowded internet, that beery, leery, Friday-night amour – has been lost?

The joke's on them 2012

When added to other banterers and baiters the Unprintables must skew the statistics in one direction only; and that is, sadly, in the direction of growing anti-semitism.

On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2007

His dress, his gait, his accent, the manner in which he gazed at the shops, stumbled into gutters, ran against the porters, and stood under the waterspouts, marked him out as an excellent subject for the operations of swindlers and banterers.

Through the Magic Door Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1907

He spoke with that good nature which deceives only those who are not banterers themselves.

The Grey Cloak Harold MacGrath 1901

The vicomte, like all banterers, possessed that natural talent of standing aside and reading faces and dissecting emotions.

The Grey Cloak Harold MacGrath 1901

His dress, his gait, his accent, the manner in which he gazed at the shops, stumbled into gutters, ran against the porters, and stood under the waterspouts, marked him out as an excellent subject for the operations of swindlers and banterers.

Through the Magic Door Arthur Conan Doyle 1894

With the banterers I shall not trouble myself, but I wonder that those who pretend to the appellation of serious criticks should not have had sagacity enough to perceive that here, as in every other part of the present work, my principal object was to delineate Dr. Johnson's manners and character.

Life of Johnson Boswell, James, 1740-1795 1887

They are the guyers of the groom and the banterers of the bride.

The Voice of the City: Further Stories of the Four Million O. Henry 1886

Since joining Jarvis Cocker, Lauren Laverne and Huey Morgan as one of BBC6 Music's inspired roster of lead-singers-turned-radio-DJs, Garvey's emerged from his shell to become one of rock's more loquacious and entertaining between-song banterers; all of which helps Elbow rise to the challenges inherent in their unlikely new status as a megaband.

The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2011