a practical joke
A mischievous trick typically involving some physical action or object intended to make someone look or feel foolish. We hid a rubber snake in the fridge as a practical joke so that it would scare Mom or Dad when they went in for something to eat. We were going to play a practical joke on David, but he noticed our car parked out front—that ruined it. It turns out that the supposed alien visitors that people had been seeing were just a bunch of teenagers playing a practical joke.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
(play) a ˌpractical ˈjoke (on somebody)
play a trick on somebody which involves physical action, using an object, etc: They put a frog in his bed as a practical joke. ▶ a ˌpractical ˈjoker noun a person who plays practical jokesFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
joke
tv. to tease someone; to make fun of someone. Everybody was joking my roommate because of her accent.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.