Jester was a person whose duty it was often to amuse kings, queens, nobles, and their family and guests. The jester was sometimes called the court fool. Jesters earned their support with their wit and by performing antics much like those of today's clowns. Jesters usually specialized in jokes and riddles. A jester wore a checkered coat and hose (called motley) of many colors. He wore a hood, sometimes decorated with an ass's ears or the head or comb of a cock. He also wore bells attached to his skirts, the elbows of his coat, his long, pointed shoes, and the peak of his hood.