What is a Joke?

As a noun, “a joke” is something that is said to make people laugh.

And as a verb, “to joke” is to say something to make people laugh.

Some examples:

• Have you heard the joke about the elephant who went into a restaurant?
• He cracks a lot of jokes, but they aren’t always very funny.
• She often tells jokes when she should be serious.
• They were joking about the new teacher.
• We joked about getting lost in Moscow.
• He joked that he would be old by the time the food arrived.
• The comedian told some very funny jokes.

(In English there is a difference between a “joke” and an “anecdote”. An anecdote is a brief story, usually from a person’s own experience. It might be funny, but it might be serious.)

A joke can also be something that is done to make people laugh. In that case the verb “to joke” would mean to do something to make people laugh.

Examples:

• She played a practical joke on her friends while they were at school.
• She hid his book and then said that she had done it as a joke.
• He was always joking around.
• The circus clowns were playing jokes on the audience.

In these examples, “to play a joke” and “joking around” are idioms. Other idioms include:

• no joke
• go beyond a joke
• the joke is on him
• make a joke of it
• take a joke
• bad joke
• cruel joke
• inside joke
• joking apart/aside
• having a joke
• only joking!
• you must be joking
• don’t see the joke
• little joke
• a bit of a joke

Another use of “joke” is when something is bad – but not funny. An example of British irony, perhaps.

Examples:

• This restaurant is a bit of a joke.
• A first-class service. They must be joking!
• You’re having a joke if you expect me to pay that much

_{Thanks to Valeria for the question}

Posted by Graham