joke

(all) joking aside and (all) kidding aside

being serious for a moment; in all seriousness. I know I laugh at him but, joking aside, he's a very clever scientist. I know I threatened to leave and go round the world, but, joking aside, I do need a vacation.

See also: aside

able to take a joke

to be able to accept ridicule good-naturedly; to be able to be the object or butt of a joke willingly. (Able to can be replaced with can.) Better not tease Ann. She can't take a joke.

See also: able, take

butt of a joke

the reason for or aim of a joke, especially when it is a person. Poor Fred was the butt of every joke told that evening.

See also: butt

crack a joke

to tell a joke. She's never serious. She's always cracking jokes. Every time Tom cracked a joke, his buddies broke up laughing.

See also: crack

inside joke

a joke that only certain people understand; a joke understood only by people who know certain facts and context. What you said must be an inside joke. It makes no sense to me.

See also: inside

joke (with someone) (about someone or something)

to quip with someone about someone or something; to make verbal fun with someone about someone or something. I was joking with Tom about the performance. I joked about Andy with Fran.

joke is on someone 

1. Someone is the butt of the joke. The joke is on Bob, so it's good that he is a good sport.

2. The joke has backfired on someone. Ha, ha! The joke's on you after all.

no joke

a serious matter. It's no joke when you miss the last train. It's certainly no joke when you have to walk home.

play a joke on someone

to make a joke that tricks someone. The children played a joke on their teacher. I don't like it when you play jokes on me.

See also: play

rich man's joke is always funny

Prov. Everyone wants to curry favor with rich people and so will always laugh at their jokes. (From a poem by Thomas Edward Brown.) We all thought that Mr. Lisle was a narrow-minded, unpleasant old man, but we were careful to act otherwise, because he was wealthy. A rich man's joke is always funny.

See also: always, funny, rich

standing joke

a subject that regularly and over a period of time causes amusement whenever it is mentioned. Uncle Jim's driving was a standing joke. He used to drive incredibly slowly. Their mother's inability to make a decision was a standing joke in the smith family all their lives.

See also: standing

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be no joke

if a situation is no joke, it is very serious or very difficult There are two of us here, trying to do the work of four people - it's no joke.

get/go beyond a joke

if a situation gets beyond a joke, it becomes extremely serious and worrying He's drunk more nights than he's sober these days - this has gone beyond a joke.

See also: beyond, get

the joke's on somebody

something that you say which means someone who tried to make other people seem silly has made themselves seem silly instead The burglars managed to lock themselves into the house until the police arrived, so the joke's on them!

You must be joking!  (informal)

something that you say in order to tell someone you do not think something they have said is serious because it is not likely to be true or to happen 'Did Alex get you a present, then?' 'You must be joking! He didn't even remember it was my birthday.'

See also: must

You're joking!  (informal)

something that you say when you are very surprised by what someone has just told you 'They're getting married, you know' 'You're joking! They've only known each other a month.'

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no joke

a serious matter It's no joke when a virus eats your computer files.

Related vocabulary: no laughing matter

play a joke (on somebody)

to do something that makes someone look foolish Richard called and said I had won ten thousand dollars, and it took me a second to realize he was playing a joke on me.

See also: play

take a joke

to accept it with good humor when others make fun of you He has a great sense of humor and isn't so self-important that he can't take a joke.

Usage notes: usually used in the negative

See also: take