snake charmer

American

noun

an entertainer who seems to charm venomous snakes, usually by music.

snake charmer British

noun

an entertainer, esp in Asia, who charms or appears to charm snakes by playing music and by rhythmic body movements

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of snake charmer

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It also turns its gaze to those assigned to the lower rungs of the colonial social order - dancing girls, agricultural labourers, barbers and snake charmers.

From BBC

At the Jemaa al-Fna Square, Marrakech's grand centrepiece overlooked by the medieval Kotoubia mosque and a haunt of street entertainers, market stalls and snake charmers, the most precious heritage appeared intact.

From Reuters

In the booth, Suga Free could make street anthems out of beats that sounded made for a polyrhythmic Marrakech snake charmer.

From Los Angeles Times

Camels that strolled along the side of the road in Multan can be ridden into the Arabian Sea on Clifton Beach, where a snake charmer will play music to a hissing black cobra.

From BBC

As for the park itself, it was an American version of a Middle Eastern bazaar, with folk singers, storytellers, beggars, political dissidents, soapbox orators, and even the occasional snake charmer.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023