joke
noun /dʒəʊk/
/dʒəʊk/
Idioms - something that you say or do to make people laugh, for example a funny story that you tell
- I can't tell jokes.
- She's always cracking jokes.
- They often make jokes at each other's expense.
- I didn't get the joke (= understand it).
- I wish he wouldn't tell dirty jokes (= about sex).
- a sick joke (= about death, disease, etc.)
- as a joke I only did it as a joke (= it was not meant seriously).
- joke about somebody/something Have you heard the joke about the elephant and the mouse?
Wordfinder- caricature
- comedy
- funny
- joke
- parody
- pun
- sketch
- slapstick
- spoof
- take-off
Culture humourhumourA sense of humour (NAmE humor), an ability to see the funny side of life, is considered essential by most British and American people. Everyone needs to be able to laugh at themselves sometimes, and to recognize that the situation they are in may look funny to others. It is considered a serious criticism of somebody to say that they have no sense of humour. When people are trying to meet other people, for example on an internet dating site, they often ask for possible partners to have a GSOH (good sense of humour).Some people have a dry sense of humour, and can keep a straight face (= not smile) and make their voice sound as though they are being serious when they are joking. Other people are said to be witty (= show a very clever type of humour). A person's sense of humour is influenced by many things, including family and social background and age.British and American humour on stage have some important differences, although the fact that some comedy television shows are popular in both countries shows that there is common ground. For example, American TV shows such as The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory are as popular in Britain as some of its own TV comedy shows. Sitcoms (= shows in which the humour comes from situations that the characters get into) often have a laugh track (= a recording of people laughing) so that the audience at home will know when things people say and do are meant to be funny. In many sitcoms gentle fun is made of ordinary life without the risk of causing anyone serious offence.American stage humour is more direct than British comedy. In the American series Parks and Recreation, for instance, the humour comes from characters behaving in stupid ways. But in the British comedy Fawlty Towers Basil Fawlty's funny characteristics are exaggerated versions of those found in the type of person he represents. David Brent's character in The Office is funny for the same reason. Slapstick comedy, which is based on people falling over, crashing into each other, etc. is now less popular in Britain.British comedy often makes use of irony, humour which depends on suggesting the opposite of what is actually expressed. Many novels, films, stage plays, etc. use irony, even when discussing serious subjects such as death. Popular humour may sometimes rely on double entendre (= using a phrase that can be understood in two ways, one of which is usually sexual) or on innuendo (= making an indirect suggestion of something rude). These were both used a lot in the popular series of Carry On films that began in the 1960s.Satire (= making people or institutions appear silly to show how stupid or bad they are) is an important element of popular British political comedy programmes. One of the most successful British comedy series, which also became popular in the US, was Monty Python's Flying Circus. It had a zany (= odd and silly) and satirical humour. Comic strips and cartoons, whether printed in newspapers, shown on television or the internet or made into films, are popular in both the US and Britain. Famous examples that started in the 1940s and 50s are Tom and Jerry and Peanuts. More recently, The Simpsons and Family Guy are very popular TV cartoons.Stand-up comedians perform on television or in clubs, telling gags (= jokes) and funny stories which end with a punchline, the part where the audience is supposed to laugh. Many comedians tell jokes that are funny because of sexual innuendo, and this is usually not considered suitable for family audiences. In Britain, common targets of comedians include politicians and British habits and customs. Observational humour makes observations about things people do in their everyday lives but have not noticed or discussed before.Many people tell jokes at school, at home and at the office. People may start a speech with a joke or funny story to help break the ice (= make people feel more relaxed).Children tell jokes that involve a play on words, such as knock-knock jokes or ‘What do you call …’ jokes, for example, ‘What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?’ ‘Cliff’.Adults sometimes tell jokes that make fun of common characteristics of people who do a particular job. For example, light bulb jokes suggest mistakes these people would make in trying to change a light bulb: ‘How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?’ - ‘None. The bulb will change itself when it is ready.’ Jokes about people from particular countries, people of a particular race, religion or gender, or people with disabilities are not acceptable.Practical jokes involve tricking people, and are not usually very popular, but on April Fool's Day (1 April) it is traditional for people to play practical jokes on each other. Newspapers often include a story that is not true hoping that some readers will believe it and then feel silly.Extra Examples- He told us the ending, completely spoiling the joke.
- He treated his exams as a huge joke.
- His brothers were always playing practical jokes.
- She didn't seem to find my jokes amusing.
- She doesn't like jokes about her height.
- She likes to have a joke with her employees.
- That's an old joke—I've heard it lots of times.
- The audience wasn't very responsive and the jokes fell flat.
- The show features a running joke about a nosy dog.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- amusing
- funny
- good
- …
- crack
- make
- tell
- …
- fall flat
- be on somebody
- as a joke
- joke about
- make a joke of something
- [singular] (informal) a person, thing or situation that is silly or annoying and cannot be taken seriously
- This latest pay offer is a joke.
- This can't really be happening—it must be some kind of cruel joke.
see also jocular
Word Originlate 17th cent. (originally slang): perhaps from Latin jocus ‘jest, wordplay’.
Idioms
be/get beyond a joke
- to become annoying and no longer acceptable
- His teasing is getting beyond a joke.
be no joke
- to be difficult or unpleasant
- It's no joke trying to find a job these days.
the joke’s on somebody
- (informal) used to say that somebody who tried to make another person look silly now looks silly instead
- I thought I'd play a trick on them, but in the end the joke was on me.
make a joke of something
- to laugh about something that is serious or should be taken seriously
- We tried to make a joke of our situation, but it wasn't really funny.
take a joke
- to be able to laugh at a joke against yourself
- The trouble with her is she can't take a joke.