Cutup

Near-synonyms: class clown; good-time Charlie; prankster

'I think I should mention, Candy,' said Mrs. Chasen, 'that Harold does has his eccentric moments.' 'Oh, yes!' said Candy, finally comprehending. 'That's all right. I've got a brother who's a real cut-up too.'

Jeff (Daniel Eric Gold), who has whittled his academic pursuits to one course at his local community college, is the Philosopher; his best friend, Tim (Peter Scanavino), a Navy veteran, is the Combustible Alcoholic, and Buff (Mr. Culkin), a stoner skateboarder, is the Cut-Up.

Although Dek can be a cutup, his explanation for his obsessive search for the truth — “It was about respect” — reveals the bedrock of decency that makes him a seriously good guy.

Jeff Lawton's Truck Stop (1969), which read like a William Burroughs cut-up novel and was printed in a skewed, rotated, and oddly spaced type.