Idiom
pull someone's leg
Meanings
To tease someone by jokingly trying to convince them of something false.
Definition
To pull someone's leg means to joke with someone by trying to make them believe something untrue.
To pull someone's leg means to tease or joke by telling someone something that isn’t true, usually in a friendly way. The goal is to trick the person briefly and then reveal it was a joke. It can be playful, but it may feel rude if the other person is upset or doesn’t understand the humor.
Examples
- Are you serious, or are you just pulling my leg?
- I thought I won the contest, but she was pulling my leg.
- Don’t pull my leg—I’m already stressed today.
- He said the meeting was canceled, but he was pulling our leg.
- She’s pulling his leg about the new haircut.
More at B2 level
- Bob's your uncle Used to say that something will be easy or will happen exactly as expected after a simple step.
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share a quick update or confirm plans.
- ballpark figure A ballpark figure is an approximate number or estimate, not an exact one.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to tease someone or make fun of them in a not-too-serious way.
- cheap as chips Very cheap; costing very little money.
More idiom (verb phrase)s
- touch base To touch base means to briefly contact someone to share a quick update or confirm plans.
- take the mickey To take the mickey means to tease someone or make fun of them in a not-too-serious way.
- drop the ball To drop the ball means to make a mistake or fail to do something important that you were responsibl…
- have a chinwag To have a chinwag means to have a friendly, informal chat with someone.
- face the music To accept and deal with the unpleasant consequences of your actions or a difficult situation.