jackal

noun pl. jackals or jackal

1. any of several wild dogs of Asia and N Africa, mostly yellowish-gray and smaller than the wolf: they often hunt prey in packs, generally at night, and also eat carrion and certain plants
2. a person who does dishonest or humiliating tasks for another: from the notion that the jackal hunts game for the lion and eats the leavings
3. a cheat or swindler