all in jest
1
6.7
- idiom
- She apologized, explaining that her remarks were all in jest and not meant to offend.
Examples
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I was just teasing you; it was all in jest.
-
When he teased his friend about the haircut, it was all in jest.
-
His comment about quitting was all in jest, so there's no need to worry.
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It was all in jest!
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His comment about quitting was all in jest, so there's no need to worry.
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She apologized, explaining that her remarks were all in jest and not meant to offend.
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When he teased his friend about the haircut, it was all in jest.
Synonyms
34
3.7
Said to show something is funny and not serious
26
2.0
Said or done as a joke and not meant seriously
14
5.3
People say it as a joke and do not mean it seriously
13
6.8
Joking and not meant to be taken seriously
10
6.6
In a joking way not meant to be taken seriously
2
8.1
In a joking way that is not meant to be taken seriously
1
3.6
To say or do something in a joking way without being serious
1
6.4
In a joking way that is not serious
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase transparently combines 'all' (entirely) + 'in' (within) + 'jest' (a joke) so the meaning 'entirely as a joke / not meant seriously' is directly derivable from the parts. This compositional pattern is common in English (and parallels exist in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
All in jest may come from the old job of a court jester. Imagine a jester whose words are always in jest (a joke), so saying something was all in jest means it was 'not meant to be taken seriously'.