There's nothing quite like a good prank. Whether you're simply channeling the summer camp classic of sticking a sleeping bunkmate's hand into a cup of warm water or plotting an elaborate Ocean's Eleven heist-like scenario to pull one over on a buddy, when it all comes together in hilarious humiliation, you can't help but crack a proud grin.
炮制一出高妙的恶作剧给人的满足感实在无与伦比。不管你仅是套用夏令营经典恶作剧招数，将熟睡室友的手放进一杯温水里，还是对好友上演《十一罗汉》里那精妙设计的拦路抢劫剧情，只要让他人丑态毕露，引发爆笑，你总会禁不住自豪地奸笑起来。
And there's no better time than now to talk to a couple experts on everything you need to know to appropriately bask in the tomfoolery this year.
而此时正是向专家们请教今年该怎样尽情“愚人娱己”的最佳时机。
So, why do we pull pranks anyway? According to Tim Nyberg, author of The Practical Joker's Handbook and The Practical Joker's Handbook: The Sequel, such wanton acts of entertaining deviousness break the monotony of the everyday. "Pranks are the part of the seasoning that makes life interesting," he said. "A sure cure for boredom is planning and executing a creative practical joke."
话又说回来，我们为何要开玩笑呢？根据《恶作剧者实用手册》和《恶作剧者实用手册（续）》的作者蒂姆·纽伯格的说法，这些淘气的娱人诡计打破了日常生活的单调。“恶作剧是为我们生活添加趣味的调味料，”他说，“要打破沉闷，一个绝对有效的做法就是策划并实施一个富有创意的恶作剧。”
Nyberg cited a number of motives from "just for the hell of it" to the joy of preying on a friend's gullibility. Or, for revenge, of course. Ah ye the payback prank. While the phrase "an eye for an eye, makes the world blind" is often attributed to Gandhi, we're pretty sure that even Mahatma would return the favor of a whoopee cushion slipped onto his seat by sprinkling itching powder into the perpetrator's jockstrap.

纽伯格列举了形形色色的恶作剧动机，从“就为了好玩”，到享受轻易骗到朋友的乐趣。当然还有，为了报复。啊，对了，还有报复恶作剧。我们都知道“以眼还眼（即以牙还牙），世界只会更盲目”的名言出自甘地，但我们还是能肯定，如果这位圣雄也遭遇过坐上放屁垫子这样的恶作剧，他也会回敬这位始作俑者的——在其运动内裤里撒上痒粉。
"Is there any motive other than revenge?" said comedian and CollegeHumor.com writer Streeter Seidell, whose years-long war of escalating pranks with fellow CollegeHumor employee Amir Blumenfield have become an Internet sensation. "Even the initial prank in a war is likely spurred by some offense you feel needs to be rectified," he added.
“除了报复，恶作剧还有别的理由吗？”喜剧演员、“大学幽默”网站的作家史崔特·赛德尔说道。他与“大学幽默”网站的同事阿默·布鲁曼菲尔德之间那长达数年、不断升级的恶作剧大战在网络上引起热议。他还说道：“引发恶作剧轮番大战的第一个捉弄把戏很可能不过是别人一次不经意的冒犯，但却激起了你的‘报复’心理。”
But maybe you don't have any grievances that need to be addressed. Maybe you just want to have some devilish fun at another's expense. In that case, Nyberg advised setting your sights on your friend preferably one with a good sense of humor. "It's always best when both parties (eventually) find humor in the prank," he explained.
不过你也可能没有什么冤屈特别需要平反的。你可能只想从别人身上获得这种邪恶的快意。如果是这样，纽伯格建议大家把对象限定在朋友圈里，最好是富有幽默感的人。“如果双方（最终）都能从恶作剧里找到幽默的乐趣，那就再好不过了。”他解释道。
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been on both ends of the joke, Seidell echoed Nyberg's suggestion. "I can always forgive Amir for whatever caliber of prank he pulls because he's my friend and we work together every day," he said. "But if some random person decided to pull something on me just for fun, I can't say I'd be as forgiving."
站在恶作剧施受双方的角度，赛德尔也赞同纽伯格的建议。“无论阿默开什么玩笑我都能原谅他，因为他是我的朋友，我们每天在一起工作，”他说，“但如果是一个随便的什么人想来愚弄我，拿我寻开心，我可不敢说我会如此宽容。”
After picking your mark, whether for revenge or not, now you've just got to figure out what you're going to do. Whether you decide to turn all your target's clocks forward by two hours so they think they're crazy late for work or to set up a Craigslist "casual encounters" ad with their e-mail, it should fit their personality.
选定对象后，不管是为了报复还是其他目的，现在你只需确定接下来要做什么就可以了。不管你是决定将所有目标对象的时钟调快两个小时，让他们以为自己要迟到了而发狂，还是用他们的邮箱地址在分类广告网站Craigslist的“邂逅”栏目中登广告寻找性伴侣，都得符合他们的个性。
"Play on their idiosyncrasie" said Nyberg. "The more creative, the better for both parties." But no matter what you do, Seidell advises to be careful not to take things too far like sending someone to the hospital, destroying property or trying to pull off something that will get you locked up in jail for a night.
“要针对他们的特质来开玩笑，”纽伯格说，“（恶作剧）越有创意，双方就越能体会到个中的乐趣。”但不管你开什么玩笑，赛德尔建议大家要小心掌握分寸，玩笑别开过火，别搞得对方要进医院，或毁坏财物，又或是做出什么犯法的事以致自己得在监狱里呆上一晚。
"I think I'd draw the line at a broken toe. And if your prank goes really, really wrong you should just lie and say you had nothing to do with it. Then flee the country," Seidell said. With any luck, your prank will go off without a hitch, making it important that you're there for the reaction, otherwise, you'll be missing your reward.
“我想我的底线就是到让脚趾受伤这样的事。如果你的恶作剧实在弄得太过火，那你最好就撒谎说你跟这事毫无关系，然后潜逃出国，”赛德尔说。如果你运气好，弄出的恶作剧没造成什么问题，那你务必要留下来看看大家的反应，否则，你将会错过你的“回报”。
"Even unoriginal little pranks can be a lot of fun to watch if the reaction is great," Seidell said. "Make sure you thank the mark for being a good sport," recommended Nyberg. "Again, the goal should be that both parties find humor in the prank."
“假如反应热烈的话，即使是一些非原创的小恶作剧也能给旁观者带来极大乐趣，”赛德尔说。“一定要感谢那个被捉弄的对象为大家带来了乐子，”纽伯格建议道，“再次强调，（恶作剧的）目的是为了让双方都能从恶作剧中感受到乐趣。”
Finally, if you find yourself the target of a practical joke this April Fools' Day, be sure to enjoy it. "Compliment the prankster," said Nyberg, who even suggested sending a thank you note. "Include a gift card to a local restaurant," he suggested. "The card, marked with a monetary amount, say $50, has been used except for $1."
最后，如果你发现自己在这个愚人节成了恶作剧的对象，请务必享受这一切。“要赞美那个开玩笑的人，”纽伯格说，他甚至还建议大家给对方寄一张感谢卡。“再附上一张当地餐馆的赠券，”他提议，“上面标有一定的赠送消费金额，比如50美元，但实际上已被用得只剩下1美元。”
"Of course, the recipient won't know this until they try to pay for their meal with it."
“当然，收到赠券的人要到用它买单时才会发现这件事。”