Telling a joke in English is one of the indicators that you have reached a high level. Here are some words and expressions when you want to be drôle.
Words to tell jokes in English
A pun – a joke which exploits the different meanings of a word.
English has many words which have different meanings but sound the same, for instance: ‘tail’ and ‘tale.’ A pun is a joke which exploits this double meaning. For example:
“An egg salesman came to the door, but I told him to beat it.”
The humour comes from the word ‘to beat’ which signifies ‘to beat an egg’ and to tell someone to leave (for example, in the Michael Jackson song, ‘Beat It.’)
When someone accidentally makes a pun, the expression is, ‘no pun intended.’ For example:
“They’ve got to make this Brazilian barbecue restaurant a success. The stakes are high. No pun intended.”
To pull someone’s leg – to make a joke to trick someone.
“We have to work late tonight.’” “Seriously!” “No, I’m pulling your leg.’
An alternative to this expression is ‘to be kidding’ with the WhatsApp acronym ‘JK.’
“I’ve just heard that an all-night bar is going to open under your apartment.” “What?!” “JK.’“
Fun fact – an introduction to a strange or funny story.
“Fun fact, in her youth my mother was the national under 16s roller skating champion.”
A trick question – a question created to confuse or mislead the person being asked.
“How many mountains does Denmark have? Trick question; there aren’t any.”
To joke around – to pass the time with friends having a laugh.
‘My son was joking around with his friends and didn’t get any studying done.’
Funny expressions about people
To be a know-it-all – someone who interrupts the real expert to show how much they know about a subject.
“My aunt’s husband is a real know-it-all. He thinks he knows everything about everything. He is unbearable to be around.”
To be a swot – someone who studies a lot and is an excellent student.
“I was a swot at school and did brilliantly in my exams, although I never had much luck with girls.”
To be a lazy-bones – someone who is so lazy, they have no motivation to do anything unless told to by others, and will stop working at the earliest opportunity.
“My teenage boy is a real lazy-bones and spends his day off doing nothing.”
To be a goody-two-shoes – someone(usually a child) who is so well-behaved in front of those with authority, it is irritating.
“When I was little, I was a real goody-two-shoes. But when I became a teenager, I began to rebel.”
Discover the art of British humour
Learn the slang words, expressions, and curses they definitely never taught you in English class with this funny British English phrasebook. Learn more
Funny English expressions for work
To pull a sickie – to call your workplace to say that you are sick when you are not.
“I hate Mondays so much that I pulled a sickie and stayed in bed.”
To be a suck up, to suck up – someone who gives fake compliments in order to gain affection, trust or an advantage.
“My colleague is such a suck up in meetings and will always tell the boss what a great idea something is, no matter how unworkable it is.”
To be a skiver, to skive – someone who avoids work at every opportunity.
“Janet has gone home early again; she is such a skiver.”
Finally, the difference between ‘to laugh with’ and ‘to laugh at’
Your choice of preposition changes the meaning of ‘to laugh.’
To laugh with someone is positive and means that you are sharing the joke with them. For example:
“I met up with an old friend last night and we laughed with each other about how we were as kids.”
To laugh at someone has a more negative sense and means that someone or something is the object of the joke. For example:
“They laughed at the way he dressed.’
‘To laugh at’ is not always negative, however, as you can also ‘laugh at something on TV.’
