(all) joking apart
In all seriousness; being frank for a moment. Primarily heard in UK. Just flew in from Denver, huh? Your arms must be tired! Joking apart, how was your trip out here? I give my brother a hard time for the gangly way he runs, but all joking apart, he's quite a remarkable athlete. We do tease Mom a lot, but all joking apart, we are truly so blessed to have her in our lives.
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