dry humor
1
5.3
- noun
- /draɪ ˈhjuːmər/
- US
:
humor seco
- His comments about the situation were filled with dry humor, making everyone chuckle despite the seriousness of the topic.
I think she'd be fitting because, yeah, she's got like, dry humor and mess with everyone.
- I think she'd be fitting because, yeah, she's got like, dry humor and mess with everyone.
- And although it's based in humor and based in like, you know, dry humor, sarcasm, but you should have did, bro.
Examples
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Mainers are known for their dry humor.
Blog text (14) -
In a conversation rife with his trademark brand of dry humor and sharp political analysis, Vidal discussed the 2008 elections, government corruption, the Iraq War, and the U.S. education system.
Blog text (19) -
Yes, dry humor, and he was fantastic.
Blog text (32) -
And even if I did, it should be obvious that it is just dry humor.
Blog text (14) -
British TV is also not as censored as American TV is, and the comedy is primarily dry humor.
Blog text (33) -
The video looks into many aspects of the iPad Mini using dry humor and wit.
Blog text (4) -
Joe Weinman, the emcee at GigaOm Structure Europe, had a great dry humor that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Blog text (17) -
With disarming ease and dry humor, themes from both essay collections unfold in a carefully developed story of a researcher writing a dissertation about a group of nine people who suddenly become color blind.
Academic text (2000) -
Directing his third feature, Ben Affleck has come up with a seamless blend of detailed international drama and breathtaking suspense, with just the right amount of dry humor to provide context and levity.
Blog text (18) -
She told the story with such dry humor that it took a moment for her friends to realize she was joking.
Synonyms
1
5.8
A way of speaking and behaving that shows little warmth or feeling
1
7.2
A quiet, slightly mocking kind of humor
How Dry
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally derivable: 'dry' used figuratively (unemotional, restrained) modifies 'humor' (comic quality), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer that it refers to humor delivered in a serious or deadpan way. This adjective+noun pattern and the figurative use of 'dry' are common cross-linguistically, making the expression predictable rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
The expression dry humor may come from the image of dry, plain and without extra feeling, like a dry desert. When someone tells a joke with no smile or big emotion, 'straight' or 'serious', the joke feels quiet instead of obvious, so dry humor means 'funny in a calm, serious way'.