near the knuckle

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

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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