Thread: "Может" vs. "Может быть"

Originally Posted by oldboy

она может быть такой шутницей (wag joker).

Oldboy's translation "wag" isn't wrong -- but simply very un-colloquial to my dainty US ears. (In 21st-century US English, "wag" in the sense of шутник remains in educated writing, but is quite rare in speech -- so I would suggest "joker" as the best translation of шутник/-ница if you're addressing a mostly American audience.)