near the knuckle

Prone or likely to offend others, especially due to being sexually explicit or suggestive. A: "What did you think of the awards ceremony last night?" B: "I found the presenter's jokes a bit too near the knuckle for my taste." If you want to be a great comedian, you can't be afraid of getting near the knuckle from time to time.

See also: knuckle, near

near the knuckle

BRITISH

If something that someone says or writes is near the knuckle, it is close to the limits of what people find acceptable, for example because it is sexually explicit or offensive to particular groups. Some of the jokes in his live show were a bit near the knuckle. A lot of the material is very near the knuckle. Note: You can use near-the-knuckle before a noun. He has made a career out of near-the-knuckle comedy routines.

See also: knuckle, near

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

near the knuckle

verging on the indecent or offensive. British informal

In the late 19th century this expression was used more generally to mean ‘close to the permitted limit of behaviour’.

See also: knuckle, near

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

near the ˈknuckle

(British English, informal) (about a remark, joke, etc.) likely to offend people or make them feel embarrassed: His act is too near the knuckle for me.

See also: knuckle, near

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

See also:

References in periodicals archive

But it is way more explicit than Fleabag, which itself was pretty near the knuckle at times.

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Tomorrow, Glee Club, Birmingham, 0871 472 0400 COMEDY Jimmy Carr Come for the witty and incisive musings on the human condition; stay, if you dare, for the near the knuckle gags Tomorrow, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, www.wolvescivic.co.uk COMEDY Daniel Sloss Young Scot Daniel is calling his show Dark because that's what some have called his brand of comedy.

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And a winning mix s of friendly charm and joyfully near the knuckle jokes has made co-headliner and former Liverpool Comedian of the Year Chris Cairns, above, one of the most in-demand comics around today, with a panto appearance alongside John Bishop on his never ending list of credits.

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Expect some near the knuckle debate involving Saint Sebastian the Martyr and why good Catholic boys are attracted to women with very large, well developed ...

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Archer certainly stands out from the crowd, not just because it's animated, but because it's an action adventure sitcom that can, at times, be a little near the knuckle.

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Les just cuts off the pipe near the knuckle, then uses a Socket Saver to ream out the pipe to expose the inside of the fitting.

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While we're not expecting anything quite so near the knuckle as Tipping The Velvet, or even The Singing Detective, the subject matter of The Crimson Petal and the White does suggest we're going to have a bit of raunchiness every now and then.

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When some of his gags proved a little near the knuckle, the audience, packed full of Hollywood's great and good, seemed to take umbrage.

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We praise and glorify a chef for using the most foul language on TV, the scriptwriters of TV shows run their storylines as near the knuckle as they can legally get away with regards this same foul language and scenes of violence.

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CROC: At snap of a finger; LEOPARD: Is just spot on; ZEBRA: In brush stripes; GIRAFFE: Near the knuckle; CAT: from a paw; SWAN FAKE: But it looks so real; FINGER PRINT: Thin-skinned elephant

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Divorced from a fictional character and other people to react to the awful things he is saying, sometimes Gervais the stand-up gets too near the knuckle.

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Some lines are clever, particularly the John Prescott jokes, but some are clichAd and not as topical as Rik had led us to believe, while a couple are near the knuckle, when it's suggested that Alan is behind the deaths of John Smith and David Kelly.

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Last year's supper at Tulliallan, near Kincardine, had jokes from speakers that were said to be 'a bit near the knuckle.'

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He immediately retired hurt, having scored four, and went to hospital for an X-ray which revealed a fracture near the knuckle of his little finger.

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The eastern one arrives near the knuckle of the plan, at a broad flight of steps which penetrates right through the building to bring you out under the overhanging roof overlooking the little triangular court defined by the two wings.

Green peace