mischief

mis·chief   (mĭs'chĭf)    n.   Behavior that causes discomfiture or annoyance in another. An inclination or tendency to play pranks or cause embarrassment. One that causes minor trouble or disturbance: The child was a mischief in school. Damage, destruction, or injury caused by a specific person or thing: The broken window was the mischief of vandals. The state or quality of being mischievous. [Middle English mischef, from Old French meschief, misfortune, from meschever, to end badly : mes-, badly; see mis-1 + chever, to happen, come to an end (from Vulgar Latin *capāre, to come to a head, from *capum, head, from Latin caput; see kaput- in Indo-European roots).]

Mischief

Mis"chief\, n. [OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and Chief.]

1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. --Chaucer.

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. --Ps. lii. 2.

The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs. --Fuller.

2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. --Milton.

The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. --Swift.

To be in mischief, to be doing harm or causing annoyance.

To make mischief, to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels.

To play the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [Colloq.]

Syn: Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill.

Usage: Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly.

mischief 

mischief

see make mischief.