no kidding
10
6.0
- idiom
- /noʊ ˈkɪdɪŋ/
- Informal
:
en serio
- No kidding, whatcha getting him?
- Yeah, no kidding
- Oh, no kidding
- said, "No kidding"
So food as medicine is a no kidding thing.
- So food as medicine is a no kidding thing.
- And one of them is this particular part of the program that they run that deals with, no kidding, stuff that that is cleaning up problems for themselves.
Examples
-
I really enjoy this show, no kidding; it always makes me laugh.
-
You know what, Engleheart, you are the best-looking guy on your team, no kidding.
-
I have to say, a lot of people, no kidding, believe that it's just luck.
-
Oh, no, no kidding, Ralph, I saw that.
-
No kidding, you can see 'em coming around a corner, you got time to comb your hair.
Fiction book (1996) -
He said, "No kidding, let me see the ball."
Fiction book (1991) -
"No kidding! Me too!" His enthusiasm, as always, was boundless.
Fiction book (1996) -
I scored four $10 gift certificates to a local coffee shop for $2.40, no kidding.
Blog text (19) -
Not easy ones who make over $100,000 a year and you're thinking, "No kidding."
Blog text (28) -
No kidding, bright boy, we smelled Mundt all over this.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Shows that something is true or certain
∞
1.0
In a real and honest way
∞
1.6
In a way that shows you mean what you say
691
1.1
Said when you want to stress that you really mean what you say
24
8.3
A phrase that shows the next thing you say is honest
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'seriously' or 'not joking' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'no' (negation) with 'kidding' (joking), so the overall sense is simply 'I am not joking'. This negation + verb composition is a common, cross-linguistically accessible pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the expression.
Etymology
No kidding comes from the plain idea of denying a joke: kidding means 'to joke', so saying no kidding is like telling people you are not joking about what you just said. That's why no kidding is used to show you mean something 'seriously'.