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Glite Dictionary
to pull the other leg

to pull the other leg

9.5
To tease someone by saying something that is not true as a joke
  • idiom
  • /pʊl ði ˈʌðər lɛg/
  • UK
translation icon : me estás tomando el pelo
  • Good one, Chaunce, but pull the other leg.

Examples

  • When he said he won the lottery twice this week, I just replied, 'Pull the other leg!'

  • After hearing his outrageous excuse for being late, I shook my head and said, 'Pull the other leg!'

  • She told me she was moving to Mars next year. I laughed and said, 'Pull the other leg!'

Synonyms

butter my butt and call me a biscuit
vsto pull the other leg
  • Informal
9.9

A funny phrase people say when they cannot believe something

implies the speaker thinks the other is joking or teasing
slap my ass and call me Sally
vsto pull the other leg
  • Offensive
9.9

An informal rude phrase said to show surprise or not believe something

implies disbelief framed as playful teasing rather than shocked astonishment

Antonyms

to believe
∞ 1.0

Accept that something is true or trust a person

to take seriously
608 3.1

Think something is important and pay attention to it

Surface Forms

pull the other leg infinitive

Morphology

pull + the + other + leg

The phrase is a conventionalized idiom where the literal meanings of 'pull' and 'leg' (a physical action and a body part) do not yield the figurative sense 'to tease / you must be joking'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer this metaphorical, culturally specific meaning without prior exposure, so it is opaque.

Etymology

Pull the other leg may come from a simple prank: people would literally pull someone's leg to make them stumble or laugh. That physical trick became a way to talk about 'teasing' or trying to fool someone, so the phrase means 'joking' rather than being serious.