professional jester; entertainer; buffoon
Historical term for a male entertainer at parties in the Edo period, who flattered guests, told jokes, and kept the mood lively. Now mostly used in historical or figurative contexts. The reading ほうかん is more common for the ateji 幇間.
See also: 幇間 (ほうかん)
At banquets in the Edo period, professional jesters entertained the guests.
flatterer; sycophant; brown-noser
Derogatory term for someone who shamelessly flatters others to gain favor, likened to the historical jester. Often used in modern colloquial speech.
He's a sycophant to his boss, always sucking up to him.
Synonym for the historical professional jester sense, but ほうかん is the more common reading for the ateji 幇間. 太鼓持ち is the more colloquial and widely recognized term.
Also means 'flatterer' or 'sycophant', but 太鼓持ち carries a stronger nuance of being a professional or habitual flatterer, with historical connotations.
Standard kanji spelling for this word.
Variant spelling without the okurigana ち; less common.
Ateji spelling for the historical professional jester sense; also read ほうかん.
太鼓持ち became a name for the male banquet entertainers also called 幇間, whose work included enlivening parties and flattering guests. It consequently developed the figurative sense “sycophant.”