Sentence:  So they have trooped forth to organize village down-and-outs and ne'er-do-wells into would-be combat units. If this is the case, then like most other collegiate <WSD>prankings</WSD>, the show has turned out to be both trite and puny, deceiving no one ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The playing of pranks; tomfoolery.