SEVEN WAYS TO USE THE WORD ‘JOKE’

Today is April Fools’ Day (also known as April Fool’s Day and All Fools’ Day), when it is traditional in many Western countries to play practical jokes on people. The origin of April Fools’ Day is unknown, although there are several theories about how it began.

There are several ways to use the word “joke.” Here are seven.

 😒 Something serious or worrying might be described as BEYOND A JOKE.
e.g. “ScotRail’s service is now beyond a joke. Passengers should be able to buy a ticket and know they can expect a seat for a four-and-a-half-hour journey from Edinburgh to Inverness.”


 😃 We say that someone who generally is/isn’t able to accept a humorous comment or practical joke CAN/CAN’T TAKE A JOKE.
e.g. “Supermarket Tesco has shown it can take a joke after a shopper questioned how customers are supposed to use the in-store scales.”


 😒 Something (or someone) perceived as ridiculously inadequate is sometimes described as A JOKE.
e.g. “For the National to programme a season with one female director and no female writers is a joke as far as I'm concerned.”


 😐 You might say “JOKING APART” to indicate that you are being serious after making a joke.
e.g. “Joking apart, Bruce had a couple of medical problems last year and had to reassure himself that taking charge of another sleeping giant in the Championship would not be bad for his health.”

 😒 Something that is serious or difficult might be described as NO JOKE.
e.g. “Bananas are no joke”

 😄 We say that we PLAY A JOKE on someone, as we do on April Fools’ Day.
e.g.“I started trying to get rid of this bubble wrap and this tail came out and I thought my daughter had played a joke on me”


 😄 We might also TELL A JOKE to make someone laugh.
e.g. “Should I laugh at their jokes? Should I tell a joke?”


 Photo credit: ieshraq