half joke
1
5.1
- noun
:
broma a medias
- "I'm not saying I'm a superhero, but I think I can fly," he said with a half joke that made the crowd chuckle.
Yeah, yeah, I, I, I said that as a as a half joke.
- Yeah, yeah, I, I, I said that as a as a half joke.
Examples
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His comment about candidates competing in a circus was a funny half joke that reflected his serious views on politics.
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It was kind of a half joke, but I was still outraged at it, and I was relieved when I read this article because it articulates why I felt so frustrated.
Blog text (30) -
Not too long ago, I happened to be chatting with a few other bloggers whom I love and admire when I made some half-joke about having my laptop set up in the middle of the kitchen, writing, editing, and emailing with half my mind.
Blog text (4) -
During the debate, she made a half joke about the absurdity of the situation, which left everyone laughing but also thinking.
How Humorous
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1.0
1
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'partly humorous and partly serious' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'half' (not completely) with 'joke' (a humorous remark). This compositional modifier + noun pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Half joke comes from the image of someone saying a joke but meaning it only half, smiling while they really say something true. So a half joke is a remark that is partly funny and partly 'serious'.