Jackal1. (n.) Any one of several species of carnivorous animals inhabiting Africa and Asia, related to the dog and wolf. They are cowardly, nocturnal, and gregarious. They feed largely on carrion, and are noted for their piercing and dismal howling.
2. (n.) One who does mean work for another's advantage, as jackals were once thought to kill game which lions appropriated.
Thesaurus Entries
African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, adherent, apple-polisher, ass-licker, backscratcher, backslapper, bootlick, bootlicker, brown-nose, brownie, brush wolf, clawback, courtier, coyote, creature, cringer, dingo, disciple, dummy, dupe, fawner, figurehead, flatterer, flunky, follower, footlicker, fox, gillie, goon, groveler, handshaker, hanger-on, helot, henchman, hyena, instrument, kowtower, lackey, led captain, lickspit, lickspittle, lobo, man, mealymouth, medicine wolf, minion, myrmidon, peon, prairie wolf, puppet, reynard, satellite, serf, slave, spaniel, stooge, suck, sycophant, thug, timber wolf, timeserver, toad, toady, tool, truckler, tufthunter, votary, wolf, yes-man