gremlin
Airplane folklore troublemaker
A gremlin is a mischievous imaginary creature blamed for mechanical failures, especially in aircraft.
The term originated among British pilots in the early twentieth century to explain mysterious malfunctions.
By extension, any unexplained glitch or malfunction may be attributed to gremlins: There must be a gremlin in the system.
In the 1984 film *Gremlins*, the creatures became iconic movie monsters.
Malicious folklore creature
- impMinor mischief-making devil
- spriteTiny magical creature
- trollDeliberate online antagonist
- critterInformal term for animal
monster · beast · fairy · demon · hobgoblin · pixie · elf · brownie
Failure to operate properly
- mechanical failureEquipment stops working properly
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
- WWII1939-45 global conflict
- RAFBritish air force
machinery · wreck · tamper · disrupt · undermine · interfere · damage · jinx
Crawling creature or defect
- glitchMinor system fault
- errorFault in communication
- malfunctionFailure to operate properly
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
fault · defect · crash · hiccup · freeze · lag · artifact · jitter
Playful trick on someone
- troubleDifficulty or distress
- impishPlayfully mischievous in manner
- shenanigansMischievous or deceitful behavior
- trickeryDeliberate deception or fraud
antics · misbehavior · devilry · teasing · jest · roguish · naughty · playful
Traditional explanatory tale
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- folktaleTraditional narrative passed down
- fableMoral tale with animals
supernatural · enchantment · superstition · haunt · spook · phantom · tale · oral tradition
Digital payment infrastructure company
- 1984Dystopian surveillance state tale
- puppetryManipulating figures for shows
- sequelContinuation of prior work
- merchandiseCommercial products offered
Spielberg · cult classic · water · sunlight · feeding · transformation · multiplying · cocoon
goblin
Malicious folklore creature
critter · monster · beast · fairy · demon · hobgoblin · pixie · elf · brownie · leprechaun
malfunction
Failure to operate properly
- mechanical failureEquipment stops working properly
- aircraftAirborne transportation vehicle
- WWII1939-45 global conflict
RAF · machinery · wreck · tamper · disrupt · undermine · interfere · damage · jinx · curse
bug
Crawling creature or defect
- glitchMinor system fault
- errorFault in communication
- malfunctionFailure to operate properly
corruption · fault · defect · crash · hiccup · freeze · lag · artifact · jitter · stutter
prank
Playful trick on someone
- troubleDifficulty or distress
- impishPlayfully mischievous in manner
- shenanigansMischievous or deceitful behavior
trickery · antics · misbehavior · devilry · teasing · jest · roguish · naughty · playful · whimsical
myth
Traditional explanatory tale
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- folktaleTraditional narrative passed down
fable · supernatural · enchantment · superstition · haunt · spook · phantom · tale · oral tradition · old wives' tale
Stripe
Digital payment infrastructure company
- 1984Dystopian surveillance state tale
- puppetryManipulating figures for shows
- sequelContinuation of prior work
Spielberg · merchandise · cult classic · water · sunlight · feeding · transformation · multiplying · cocoon
- sci-fi creaturesxenomorph, alien, predator, Godzilla, kaiju
- mythical creaturesdragon, dragons, vampire, vampires, werewolf
- Coined Wordschortle, galumph, nerd, robot, quark
- fantasy creatureself, dwarf, orc, fairy, goblin
- Little Folkgnome, gnomes, dwarf, dwarfs, elf
- monstersdemon, monster, vampire, werewolf, ogre
gremlinguardian angel
Protective spirit assigned individually
good fairy · fairy godmother · brownie · protective spirit · fixer