Impish in a Daniel Plainview sort of way

I guess all things are relative. If you're a UAW president, then throwing a chair at someone is...well...cute.

He had an impish sense of humor that was often on display when negotiating pressure was the highest. Angered at comments by Roger B. Smith, the General Motors chief executive, during a pivotal point in negotiations in 1982, Mr. Fraser declared that he wanted G.M. to get a “zipper for Roger Smith’s lips.”

Union officials were not spared, either. When one union delegate persisted in demanding attention at a meeting, Mr. Fraser, who was presiding, stood and threw his chair at the delegate.