to have a laugh
13
1.6
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
echarse unas risas
- I freaked out and then had a laugh about it.
- just have a laugh
- have a laugh together
- have a laugh at my expense
Let's just have a laugh and be nice.
- Let's just have a laugh and be nice.
- It's, it's, it's having a laugh on the Internet.
- So we started having a laugh, right?
- World's got to chill out a bit, have a laugh, stop getting offended by stupid shit.
- Sorry, but if Jay Powell were here, he'd he'd have a laugh along with what Ilan just said.
- And, and I just really hope that people can read this book and have a laugh.
- Yeah, I want to be taken seriously, but I also still want to have a laugh with it.
- And then with the stress, we just make sure that no matter what is happening, we still have a laugh together.
- And most of the guys I knew at the time just went out, got pissed basically, and I had a laugh.
- And I made my life in prison the best I could for me whilst I was in there, I thought because this ain't no dress rehearsal so I need to have a laugh.
- The series that like the the most beautiful girl, that was quite interesting, but things like that, we had a laugh with it.
- My kids and I have a laugh around it now because what they see is my laughable attempt to portray them right.
Examples
-
Let's just have a laugh and be nice.
-
We're just having a laugh.
-
So we started having a laugh, right?
-
It's just, we're boys having a laugh.
-
Oh, no, come on, we're having a laugh, we're all right here.
-
Let's just go out somewhere and have a laugh.
-
"Aw, shut up, you dummocks," he said, and we all had a laugh.
Fiction book (2001) -
As we Brits like to say: "Well, you have to have a laugh, don't you?"
Blog text (15) -
Everyone has a laugh.
Fiction book (1994) -
After a long week at work, we decided to go to the pub and have a laugh together.
Synonyms
476
1.0
To say or do something to make people laugh
237
2.0
To laugh quietly to yourself when something is slightly funny
40
2.4
To say funny things and behave in a playful way to make people laugh
7
7.7
To laugh quietly with pleasure, often with a small snort
3
1.9
To make a quiet sound because something is funny so you do not disturb others
2
2.2
To laugh together with someone about something funny
1
3.5
To make loud sounds you cannot stop because something is very funny
Feel so amused that you fall over and move on the floor
How Amused
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'have' (to experience) + 'a' (article) + 'laugh' (an instance of laughing), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it means to experience laughing or enjoy an amusing moment. This pattern (have + noun = experience/have X) is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English usage, making the expression transparently interpretable at B1.
Etymology
Have a laugh comes from the simple image of have and a laugh, as if you can take a quick, shared laugh with others. When people 'have a laugh' together at a joke, they enjoy a short, funny time, so the phrase means 'to enjoy an amusing moment'.