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jackal

/ˈd͡ʒækəl/ noun B2
  1. Any of certain wild canids of the genera Lupulella and Canis, native to the tropical Old World and smaller than a wolf.
  2. A person who performs menial or routine tasks; a dogsbody.
  3. A person who behaves in an opportunistic way; especially, a base collaborator. (figuratively)
  4. A player who steals the ball at the tackle. (figuratively)

Plural jackals

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From the library

Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackal with the lion—anything that is insignificant in companionship with what is formidable: not only formidable, Watson, but sinister—in the highest degree sinister.
The Valley of Fear, p. 1 · C1
It was the jackal--Tabaqui, the Dish-licker--and the wolves of India despise Tabaqui because he runs about making mischief, and telling tales, and eating rags and pieces of leather from the village rubbish-heaps.
The Jungle Book, p. 1 · B2
Who are we, the Gidur-log [the jackal people], to pick and choose?” He scuttled to the back of the cave, where he found the bone of a buck with some meat on it, and sat cracking the end merrily.
The Jungle Book, p. 2 · B2
“Are we all jackals, to fawn on this cattle butcher?
The Jungle Book, p. 22 · B2

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Words, meanings, pronunciations and translations from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); how common each word is from wordfreq. Made into this dictionary by FluentPlex.