to crack a joke
10
2.9
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
soltar un chiste
- Among the assembled crowd, some cracked jokes.
- always cracks a joke
- laughing and cracking a joke
- cracked a few jokes
It might be dancing close without having to crack a joke.
- It might be dancing close without having to crack a joke.
- Everything's a disaster or a very hard physical event and someone cracks a joke.
- And can ask a question or, you know, crack a joke and like, it's the closest knit.
- Or a very hard physical event and someone cracks a joke, you're almost immediately feel a sense of relief.
Examples
-
We laughed like old buddies cracking jokes until he grew serious; the smiling stopped.
Fiction book (1997) -
Even after three days on duty, hospital officials cracked jokes as they worked to solve problems.
Blog text (20) -
Paul might have cracked a joke once or twice among friends...
-
We would crack jokes about him.
Academic text (2004) -
On the terrace, two soldiers are drinking in turn and cracking jokes.
Fiction book (1992) -
Freising was always cracking jokes around the brewery.
Fiction book (1993) -
I've always tried to crack a joke or two before, and you've all been friendly and laughed at them.
-
Crammed with excitable people cracking jokes, singing and playing the piano, arguing at the top of their lungs.
Fiction book (1991) -
The false liberal, Jackson, my chief accuser, kept cracking jokes at my expense, and the drones laughed in concert.
Fiction book (1997) -
Jason always knows how to crack a joke that makes everyone laugh at the party.
Synonyms
476
1.0
To say or do something to make people laugh
252
1.0
Cause someone to feel amused by saying or doing something funny
168
4.8
To say a short funny or clever remark
80
2.9
Say something funny, often unkind, about someone or something
40
2.4
To say funny things and behave in a playful way to make people laugh
11
5.7
To say or do something as a joke to make people laugh
How Funny
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'crack' already carries the sense 'to make a witty or joking remark' and combined with the noun 'joke' yields a directly compositional meaning 'to tell a joke.' The article 'a' is a function word and does not obscure the sense, so learners who know the constituent words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Crack a joke may come from the image of a sudden, sharp sound: to crack is like a quick 'snap'. So to crack a joke means to say a quick, sharp line that breaks the silence and makes people laugh.