2014, G. W. Rennie,The Rat Chronicles, iUniverse,→ISBN, page21:
Kirac, the leader of the rats under his charge, speaks to the major through his telepathic abilities that manifested after the alien virus infected him and hismischief of rats.
2015, Rachel Smith, John Davidson,Rats For Kids, Mendon Cottage Books,→ISBN, page 6:
A group of rats is not a herd or a gaggle, but a pack or amischief of rats. Rats in general are omnivorous, meaning they will eat almost anything.
(uncountable) Harm or trouble caused by anagent or brought about by a particular cause.
She hadmischief in her heart.
Sooner or later he'll succeed in doing some seriousmischief.
1697,Virgil, “The Tenth Book of theÆneis”, inJohn Dryden, transl.,The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis.[…], London:[…]Jacob Tonson,[…],→OCLC,page502, lines139–140:
Was I the Cauſe ofMiſchief, or the Man / Whoſe lawlesſ Luſt the bloody War began?
1718 December 15 (date written; Gregorian calendar),Jonathan Swift, “A Letter Concerning the Sacramental Test”, inThomas Sheridan,John Nichols, editors,The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift,[…], new edition, volume IV, London:[…]J[oseph] Johnson,[…], published1801,→OCLC,page435:
I have been tired in history with the perpetual folly of those states, who call in foreigners to assist them against a common enemy: but themischief was, these allies would never be brought to allow, that the common enemy was quite subdued. And they had reason; for it proved at last, that one part of the common enemy was those who called them in, and so the allies became at length the masters.
1815 December (indicated as1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 8, inEmma:[…], volume I, London:[…][Charles Roworth and James Moyes] forJohn Murray,→OCLC:
Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort ofmischief.
To die like a man of honour, Sir Hargrave, you must have lived like one. You should be sure of your cause. But these pistols are too ready amischief. Were I to meet you in your own way, Sir Hargrave, I should not expect, that a man so enraged would fire his over my head, as I should be willing to do mine over his. Life I would not put upon the perhaps involuntary twitch of a finger.
1993, Carlos Parada,Genealogic Guide to Greek Mythology[1], page71:
Epimetheus was scatter-brained and amischief to men for having taken the woman [Pandora] that Zeus had formed.
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
And so it hath been divers times; Menmischiefing the Jews to excuse their own Wickedness: as to instance one Precedent in the time of a certain King of Portugal.
Mischief in theEncyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)