a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte)
"The new manager acted like such a harlequin, constantly making jokes at everyone's expense to cover up his incompetence."
A pantomime fool, typically dressed in checkered colorful clothes.
"The children cheered wildly when the harlequin burst onto the stage wearing his bright red and blue diamond-patterned suit."
To remove or conjure away, as if by a harlequin's trick.
"The magician promised to harlequin away all our worries before the party even began."
Brightly colored, especially in a pattern like that of a harlequin clown's clothes.
"The old circus tent was draped in harlequin fabric, its surface bursting with jagged patches of red and blue."