Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who teases: Someone who habitually makes fun of others, mocks them, or playfully stirs their curiosity.
   • A difficult problem or puzzle: A particularly baffling or tricky question, riddle, or task that is said to have a correct solution.
   • An attention-getting opening: A short, intriguing segment presented at the start of a television show or movie to capture the audience's interest.
   • An advertisement offering a free incentive: An ad designed to arouse customer interest by promising something free.
   • A worker or device for teasing wool: A person or a tool (like a comb) used to disentangle and prepare wool fibers.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Person):

  • My brother is such a teaser; he always hides my things just to see me look for them.
  • Don't be a teaser—just tell me what the surprise is!

• Noun (Problem/Puzzle):

  • The final question on the quiz was a real teaser; it took me an hour to figure it out.
  • Solving that logic puzzle was a satisfying challenge; it was a clever teaser for the mind.

• Noun (TV/Movie Opening):

  • The teaser for next week's episode revealed a shocking character return.
  • Before the main feature, they showed a brief teaser for an upcoming blockbuster.

• Noun (Advertisement):

  • The company sent out a teaser in the mail, offering a free sample to generate interest in the new product.

• Noun (Worker/Tool):

  • In the traditional mill, the teaser prepared the raw wool by hand. (Worker)
  • She used a teaser to gently separate the matted fibers before spinning. (Tool)

Advanced Usage

• "Teaser campaign": A marketing strategy that uses a series of mysterious or intriguing advertisements to build anticipation for a product launch.

  • The film studio began its teaser campaign six months before the movie's release.

• "Teaser rate": In finance, an initially low interest rate offered on a loan or credit card for a short introductory period.

  • The mortgage had a teaser rate of 2% for the first year, which then increased.

Variants and Related Words

• Tease (verb): To make fun of or attempt to provoke playfully; to disentangle fibers.

  • He loves to tease his little sister about her favorite pop star.

• Teasingly (adverb): In a playful or provocative manner.

  • She smiled teasingly as she held out the gift.

Synonyms

• For a person: Trickster, prankster, joker.
• For a problem: Puzzler, brain-teaser, conundrum, enigma.
• For an ad: Come-on, lure, enticement.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

Note: "Teaser" is primarily a noun. The related verb "tease" forms phrasal verbs. - Tease out: To separate tangled threads or fibers; to gradually extract information or a solution. - It took a while to tease out the key points from his complicated explanation. (Figurative) - She carefully teased out the knots in the old yarn. (Literal)

Related Idioms

• "A real teaser": Used to describe something that is very puzzling or intriguing.
  • The mystery novel's ending was a real teaser; I never saw it coming.

Noun

1. a device for teasing wool
   • a teaser is used to disentangle the fibers
2. a flat at each side of the stage to prevent the audience from seeing into the wings
3. an attention-getting opening presented at the start of a television show
4. a particularly baffling problem that is said to have a correct solution
   • he loved to solve chessmate puzzles
   • that's a real puzzler
5. an advertisement that offers something free in order to arouse customers' interest
6. someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
7. a worker who teases wool