sick joke
12
7.9
- noun
- /sɪk dʒoʊk/
- Offensive
:
broma de mal gusto
- When Zoe received a threatening letter, she shrugged it off as a sick joke.
- a kind of sick joke
- a sort of sick joke
- just a sick joke
This must be some kind of sick joke meant to increase resentment towards trans people.
- This must be some kind of sick joke meant to increase resentment towards trans people.
- Nothing helps you get through a rough time like a good sick joke.
Examples
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Is this some sort of sick joke?
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Many people found his comments to be a sick joke that trivialized the tragedy.
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For all we know, this is some sick joke.
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- It's just a sick joke, okay.
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- Is this some sort of sick joke?
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This is another sick joke of his.
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Is this some kind of sick joke?
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What kind of sick joke is this?
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We thought it was some kind of sick joke.
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What's this, some kind of sick joke or something?
Synonyms
3
8.4
Jokes about very serious or sad events that help people cope
A joke that treats serious or painful subjects as funny and may upset some people
A rude joke that makes many people feel uncomfortable
Antonyms
How Offensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built: 'sick' (here meaning distasteful/disgusting or morally wrong) modifies 'joke', so a learner who knows both words can infer a joke that makes people feel sick or offended. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and context usually disambiguates the non-literal sense of 'sick', making the expression readily comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sick joke may come from the idea that a joke can make you feel sick — so wrong or shocking that it turns your stomach. That's why a sick joke means a joke that is 'offensive' or 'in very bad taste'.