Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) any despised underling; one who is exploited, a ‘useful idiot’ (see cite 2020).

1913		Sat. Eve. Post 1 Nov. 64/4: Ben, I want you to plant one of your stooges in that coop with a couple of smoke-pots, so that we’ll get the effect of Jack coming through the thickest of it [DA].
1934		V.G. Burns Female Convict (1960) 29: Frenchy had a stooge named Rose.
1946		S. Jackson Indiscreet Guide to Soho 56: He was always pleased to hold court to a bunch of stooges and yes-men.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 35: He turned to his stooge and yelled, ‘Brickyard!’.
1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 24: The cats-paw, the slave, the hanger-on, the flunkey [...] the stooge.
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 18: Knowing how the stooge would growl back at him for abusing the exalted president.
1961		V.S. Naipaul House For Mr Biswas 521: The readers [...] began to despise their teachers [...] as ill-informed stooges.
1973		Sun. Times Mag. 7 Oct. 98: Mickey, you’ve had to be nice to Solomon’s stooges all these years.
1986		R.G. Barrett Real Thing 80: They [...] took away a couple of dozen stooges but that was only for an hour or two.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 69: Now, where can I find the rest of the stooges.
1999		Guardian Guide 19–25 June 10: A [...] member of the studio audience or some other sort of obliging stooge.
2000		Guardian Rev. 21 Jan. 14: Relegated to the status of background stooge with zero decision-making powers.
2010		J. Ellroy Hilliker Curse 13: My dad did enjoy a long run as Rita’s chief stooge.
2012		D. Whish-Wilson ‘In Savage Freedom’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] One of Warner’s copper stooges in Perth, alerting him to the time and place.
2015		L. McInerney Glorious Heresies 79: Too big and too bold now to be the stooge.
2020		(con. 1991-94) W. Boyle City of Margins 107: ‘Dance, you commie stooge’.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 152: I badged a stooge [...] and demanded a full credits sheet for Gwen Perloff.

2. (US Und.) an informer.

1937		E. Freeman ‘The Whirling Hub’ in Afro-American (Baltimore, MD) 13 Apr. 15/3: What estranged hubby is said to have acted as the stooge of the gendarmes.
1941		‘Digg Mee’ ‘Observation Post’ in N.Y. Age 28 June 9/7: I’m told, through a ‘stooge’ of gold, that ‘Monk’ Dennis and Doris Coleman really understand.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 271: He’s got all the stooges ganged up, but he ain’t sure what time the police will come in on ’em.
1969		C. Himes Blind Man with a Pistol (1971) 108: For Christsake, Digger! You argue with this stooge.

3. (US campus) a general term of abuse.

1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 204: Stooge A person who always does the wrong thing. A person without much social or academic ability.
1974		G.V. Higgins Cogan’s Trade (1975) 90: I got to talk to a lot of fuckin’ stooges that haven’t got no manners.
1989		Eble Campus Sl. Mar.
1999		T. Fontana ‘Out o' Time’ Oz ser. 3 ep. 8 [TV script] I thought Oz had balls. If a stooge like you can be a champion? Christ!