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Glite Dictionary
tag line

tag line

1 4.2
The final funny line in a joke that makes people laugh
  • noun
  • /ˈtæɡ laɪn/
  • Informal
translation icon : remate
  • The comedian delivered his joke with a clever tag line that left the audience in stitches.

Examples

  • Her story was funny, but it was the unexpected tag line that made everyone laugh out loud.

  • The comedian built up the story before delivering the hilarious tag line.

  • Everyone laughed when she reached the tag line of her story.

  • Without a clever tag line, the joke just fell flat.

  • That was a great tag line!

  • The comedian's tag line had everyone laughing.

  • Each advertisement needs a catchy tag line to grab the attention of potential customers.

Synonyms

punch line
vstag line
29 3.5

The last part of a joke that makes people laugh

is the concluding main point that often delivers humor or surprise rather than drama
laugh line
vstag line
1 3.9

The main funny part of a joke that makes people smile

is the final or main point that specifically aims to give humor or surprise
gag line
vstag line
4.4

The last line of a joke that makes people laugh

is the concluding main point which may focus on surprise as well as comedy

How Funny

punchline
27 3.4
tag line
  • Informal
1 4.2
anticlimax
2 7.0

Surface Forms

tag line singular
tag lines plural

Morphology

tag + line

The sense 'concluding or humorous point of a joke' cannot be straightforwardly derived from 'tag' (a label or descriptor) plus 'line' (a sentence or scripted remark); a B1 learner who knows the constituents is unlikely to infer the specialized 'punchline' meaning. The term is idiomatic and somewhat jargonistic (and easily confused with 'tagline' meaning 'slogan'), so its meaning is not predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Tag line may come from the idea of a small tag or extra line added at the end of a joke or story to make it funnier. So a tag line is the short final line that makes people laugh or gives the surprise.