Idioms are whimsical, figurative expressions that add a burst of humor and charm to conversations, especially when describing something amusing or laugh-inducing. In this delightful listicle, we’ll explore 48 idioms related to funny, unpack their meanings, and demonstrate how they can sprinkle laughter and wit into discussions about comical situations, quirky antics, or hilarious moments. Whether you’re recounting a side-splitting joke or poking fun at a silly mishap, these idioms will help you capture the essence of humor with creativity and flair. Let’s dive into this playful collection, break down each idiom, and discover how they can make your conversations about funny as entertaining as the laughter itself.
What is an Idiom for Funny?
Idioms for funny are metaphorical phrases that use vivid imagery to describe situations, behaviors, or characteristics that provoke amusement, laughter, or lightheartedness. These idioms make conversations about humor more engaging, relatable, and expressive, turning ordinary anecdotes into chuckle-worthy stories. Below, we’ll explore each idiom, provide its meaning, and illustrate its use with a long sentence that captures its essence in the context of something funny.
Idioms for Funny
1. Crack Me Up
Meaning: To cause someone to laugh uncontrollably or find something extremely funny.
In a Sentence: When Ethan tripped over his own shoelaces and turned it into an exaggerated pratfall, his friends couldn’t stop laughing, as his antics never failed to crack them up during their weekly game nights.
2. In Stitches
Meaning: To be laughing so hard that it feels like your sides are splitting, as if stitched together.
In a Sentence: Sarah’s hilarious impression of their boss’s quirky mannerisms left the entire team in stitches, barely able to catch their breath as they doubled over with laughter at the office party.
3. A Barrel of Laughs
Meaning: Describes someone or something that is extremely funny and entertaining.
In a Sentence: At the family reunion, Uncle Joe was a barrel of laughs, regaling everyone with his wild stories of youthful misadventures, complete with exaggerated gestures that had the kids giggling nonstop.
4. Laugh Your Head Off
Meaning: To laugh so intensely that it feels as though your head might come off.
In a Sentence: Watching the dog chase its own tail in circles while barking at it, Mia laughed her head off, filming the absurd scene to share with her friends who were sure to find it just as hilarious.
5. Have a Good One
Meaning: To share or experience a funny joke or amusing moment.
In a Sentence: When Lucas dropped a perfectly timed pun about pizza during their lunch break, his coworkers begged him to have a good one ready for every meal, as his humor always brightened their day.
6. Pull Someone’s Leg
Meaning: To tease or joke with someone by making them believe something that isn’t true.
In a Sentence: Knowing how gullible her brother was, Zoe pulled his leg by convincing him the picnic was a formal event, only to burst out laughing when he showed up in a tuxedo to a casual barbecue.
7. Tongue in Cheek
Meaning: To say something jokingly or not seriously, often with a hint of sarcasm.
In a Sentence: With a tongue-in-cheek remark about becoming a professional couch potato, Jake had his friends chuckling, knowing he was poking fun at his lazy weekend plans while secretly loving the humor.
8. A Knee-Slapper
Meaning: A joke or situation so funny that it makes you slap your knee while laughing.
In a Sentence: Grandpa’s story about accidentally wearing mismatched shoes to a wedding was a real knee-slapper, causing the whole family to roar with laughter as they pictured his embarrassed shuffle down the aisle.
9. Tickled Pink
Meaning: To be extremely amused or delighted, often by something funny.
In a Sentence: When the toddler tried to sing the national anthem but mixed up all the words, the audience was tickled pink, clapping and laughing at the adorable performance during the school recital.
10. Bust a Gut
Meaning: To laugh so hard that it feels like your stomach might burst.
In a Sentence: Watching their friend attempt a dramatic dance move only to slip and slide across the floor, the group busted a gut, unable to stop laughing at the unintentional comedy unfolding before them.
11. Funny as a Barrel of Monkeys
Meaning: Describes something or someone that is extremely amusing and fun.
In a Sentence: The improv comedy show was funny as a barrel of monkeys, with the actors’ quick wit and absurd scenarios keeping the audience in constant giggles throughout the entire performance.
12. Have a Laugh
Meaning: To enjoy a moment of humor or amusement, often shared with others.
In a Sentence: At the coffee shop, Emma and her friends had a laugh when they overheard a barista’s exaggerated tale of a customer ordering a “decaf espresso” with a completely serious face.
13. A Real Hoot
Meaning: Something or someone that is very funny or entertaining.
In a Sentence: The stand-up comedian’s routine about parenting mishaps was a real hoot, resonating with the crowd who howled with laughter at every relatable anecdote about diaper disasters.
14. Break the Ice
Meaning: To use humor to ease tension or start a conversation in a funny way.
In a Sentence: At the awkward team-building retreat, Lucas broke the ice with a silly joke about their boss’s coffee obsession, instantly lightening the mood and sparking chuckles among his colleagues.
15. Off the Wall
Meaning: Describes something unusual, quirky, or hilariously unexpected.
In a Sentence: Mia’s off-the-wall idea to wear inflatable dinosaur costumes to the charity run had everyone laughing, as they waddled through the race, drawing cheers and amused stares from onlookers.
16. Play It for Laughs
Meaning: To intentionally act or speak in a way that maximizes humor.
In a Sentence: During the talent show, Ethan played it for laughs by performing an over-the-top magic act with intentionally bad tricks, earning roars of laughter from the audience for his comedic flair.
17. A Riot
Meaning: Something or someone so funny that they cause an uproar of laughter.
In a Sentence: The viral video of a cat trying to jump onto a shelf but flopping dramatically was an absolute riot, spreading across social media as people shared it with tears of laughter.
18. Get a Kick Out Of
Meaning: To find something highly amusing or enjoyable.
In a Sentence: Sarah got a kick out of watching her friends attempt to follow a complicated dance tutorial, giggling at their clumsy moves and exaggerated groans as they tripped over each other.
19. Crack a Joke
Meaning: To tell a funny joke or make a humorous remark.
In a Sentence: To lighten the mood during a tense study session, Jake cracked a joke about their textbook being heavier than a dumbbell, sending his classmates into fits of laughter.
20. Laugh Up Your Sleeve
Meaning: To secretly find something funny while hiding your amusement.
In a Sentence: When the teacher mispronounced a scientific term in a serious lecture, Zoe laughed up her sleeve, keeping a straight face but inwardly chuckling at the unintentional humor.
21. Funny Bone
Meaning: Refers to a person’s sense of humor or something that triggers laughter.
In a Sentence: The sitcom hit Ethan’s funny bone perfectly, with its clever one-liners and absurd situations making him laugh so hard he had to pause the show to catch his breath.
22. Take the Cake
Meaning: To be the funniest or most outrageous in a humorous context.
In a Sentence: Among all the pranks at the office, Lucas’s fake spider in the break room took the cake, as it sent his coworker shrieking and sparked laughter that echoed through the building.
23. All Fun and Games
Meaning: Describes a situation that is lighthearted and humorous, often implying it may not last.
In a Sentence: The water balloon fight was all fun and games until someone accidentally soaked the picnic food, leading to more laughter as everyone scrambled to salvage their soggy sandwiches.
24. Poke Fun At
Meaning: To tease or make lighthearted jokes about someone or something.
In a Sentence: At the roast, friends poked fun at Mia’s obsession with collecting quirky mugs, each joke met with her own laughter as she proudly displayed her latest find to the group.
25. A Laugh a Minute
Meaning: Describes something or someone that is consistently funny, providing constant amusement.
In a Sentence: Hanging out with her cousin was a laugh a minute, as his endless stream of witty observations and goofy impressions kept Sarah giggling through their entire road trip.
26. Cry Laughing
Meaning: To laugh so hard that tears form in your eyes.
In a Sentence: When the dog stole a slice of pizza and ran around the yard with it, Emma was cry laughing, barely able to breathe as she watched the chaotic chase unfold.
27. Nutty as a Fruitcake
Meaning: Describes someone or something that is eccentric or comically crazy.
In a Sentence: The street performer’s act, involving juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle, was nutty as a fruitcake, leaving the crowd in hysterics at his wild and unpredictable antics.
28. A Screamingly Funny
Meaning: Something so hilarious that it causes loud, uncontrollable laughter.
In a Sentence: The parody video of their team’s failed project was screamingly funny, with exaggerated reenactments that had everyone in the office howling and quoting lines for days.
29. Side-Splitting
Meaning: Describes something so funny that it feels like your sides might split from laughing.
In a Sentence: The comedian’s side-splitting routine about awkward family dinners had the audience clutching their stomachs, unable to stop laughing at the painfully relatable scenarios.
30. Over the Top
Meaning: Describes something exaggerated or excessively funny in a dramatic way.
In a Sentence: Jake’s over-the-top costume, complete with a giant wig and fake mustache, was so absurd that his friends couldn’t stop laughing as he strutted into the Halloween party.
31. Deadpan Humor
Meaning: A style of humor delivered with a serious or expressionless face, making it funnier.
In a Sentence: Ethan’s deadpan humor about their group’s terrible camping skills, delivered with a straight face, had everyone roaring with laughter as they recalled their soggy, chaotic trip.
32. Laugh Like a Drain
Meaning: To laugh loudly and uncontrollably, often in a distinctive or boisterous way.
In a Sentence: When Sarah recounted her attempt to bake a cake that collapsed into a gooey mess, her friends laughed like a drain, their booming laughter filling the room as they pictured the disaster.
33. A Card
Meaning: A person who is naturally funny or entertaining in a quirky way.
In a Sentence: Uncle Bob was such a card at the barbecue, telling one ridiculous joke after another and keeping everyone entertained with his endless supply of humorous anecdotes.
34. Goofy as All Get-Out
Meaning: Extremely silly or comically absurd.
In a Sentence: The group’s goofy-as-all-get-out attempt to recreate a viral dance video, complete with mismatched outfits and clumsy moves, had them all laughing hysterically at their own ridiculousness.
35. Have Them Rolling in the Aisles
Meaning: To cause an audience to laugh so hard they’re practically falling over.
In a Sentence: The improv troupe’s hilarious skit about a disastrous job interview had the crowd rolling in the aisles, with every unexpected twist prompting louder bursts of laughter.
36. A Bit of a Laugh
Meaning: Something mildly amusing or fun that brings a chuckle.
In a Sentence: The office prank of swapping everyone’s desk nameplates was a bit of a laugh, sparking giggles as colleagues arrived to find themselves “promoted” to absurd job titles.
37. Funny Ha-Ha
Meaning: Used to clarify that something is amusing rather than strange or odd.
In a Sentence: When Mia described her cat’s obsession with chasing laser pointers, she assured her friends it was funny ha-ha, not weird, as they laughed at the image of the cat’s frantic sprints.
38. Chuckle-Worthy
Meaning: Something that deserves a laugh or is mildly amusing.
In a Sentence: The typo in the company newsletter, turning “team meeting” into “team eating,” was chuckle-worthy, prompting giggles as employees imagined a buffet instead of a briefing.
39. Rib-Tickler
Meaning: A joke or situation that is very funny and causes laughter.
In a Sentence: Lucas’s rib-tickler about his failed attempt to impress his date with a magic trick had his friends in fits, picturing the deck of cards scattering across the restaurant floor.
40. Fit to Burst
Meaning: To be so full of laughter or amusement that you can barely contain it.
In a Sentence: Watching the toddler try to “help” by wrapping himself in toilet paper, Zoe was fit to burst, struggling to keep a straight face as she filmed the adorable chaos.
41. Giggle Fest
Meaning: A situation or event filled with continuous laughter and amusement.
In a Sentence: The game night turned into a giggle fest when everyone started making up absurd rules for charades, leading to nonstop laughter as they acted out increasingly ridiculous prompts.
42. Slapstick Humor
Meaning: Physical comedy that relies on exaggerated actions or accidents for laughs.
In a Sentence: The old silent film’s slapstick humor, with its pie-throwing and banana-peel slips, had the audience laughing uproariously, enchanted by the timeless absurdity of it all.
43. A Laughing Stock
Meaning: Someone or something so ridiculous that they become the subject of mockery or laughter.
In a Sentence: When Jake showed up to the costume party in a poorly made robot outfit that kept falling apart, he became the laughing stock, but he embraced it, laughing along with everyone else.
44. Wry Humor
Meaning: A dry, subtle, or ironic sense of humor that is amusing in a clever way.
In a Sentence: Sarah’s wry humor about their group’s terrible sense of direction, delivered with a smirk, had her friends chuckling as they recalled their latest misadventure in the city.
45. Make a Monkey Out Of
Meaning: To make someone look foolish or silly in a humorous way.
In a Sentence: By convincing Ethan to sing karaoke in a fake opera voice, his friends made a monkey out of him, but he took it in stride, laughing at his own over-the-top performance.
46. Zany as All Get-Out
Meaning: Extremely wild, eccentric, or comically outlandish.
In a Sentence: The clown’s zany-as-all-get-out routine, involving juggling rubber chickens and riding a tiny bicycle, had the kids at the birthday party squealing with laughter at every absurd move.
47. Grin Like a Cheshire Cat
Meaning: To smile broadly, often because something is amusing or satisfyingly funny.
In a Sentence: After pulling off a perfect prank by hiding her friend’s phone in a loaf of bread, Mia grinned like a Cheshire Cat, barely containing her laughter as Lucas searched in confusion.
48. Funny as a Crutch
Meaning: Ironically used to describe something that is not funny at all, often with sarcasm.
In a Sentence: When the comedian’s joke about taxes fell flat, Sarah whispered to her friend that it was funny as a crutch, rolling her eyes as the audience sat in awkward silence.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Crack Me Up
What does the idiom “Crack me up” mean?
a) To annoy someone
b) To cause uncontrollable laughter
c) To break something
d) To confuse someone
Quiz 2: In Stitches
What is the meaning of “In stitches”?
a) To be sewing
b) To laugh so hard it hurts
c) To feel embarrassed
d) To stay silent
Quiz 3: A Barrel of Laughs
When someone is “a barrel of laughs,” what are they?
a) Very serious
b) Extremely funny and entertaining
c) Quiet and reserved
d) Always angry
Quiz 4: Pull Someone’s Leg
What does the idiom “Pull someone’s leg” suggest?
a) To physically pull someone
b) To tease or joke with someone
c) To help someone stand
d) To ignore someone
Quiz 5: A Knee-Slapper
What situation is described by the idiom “A knee-slapper”?
a) A boring story
b) A very funny joke or situation
c) A painful experience
d) A serious moment
Quiz 6: Tickled Pink
If something leaves you “tickled pink,” what does it mean?
a) You’re extremely amused or delighted
b) You’re embarrassed
c) You’re angry
d) You’re confused
Quiz 7: A Real Hoot
What does the expression “A real hoot” imply?
a) Something very serious
b) Something very funny or entertaining
c) Something frightening
d) Something boring
Quiz 8: Off the Wall
When is it appropriate to say, “Off the wall”?
a) When something is ordinary
b) When something is quirky or hilariously unexpected
c) When something is planned
d) When something is dull
Quiz 9: A Riot
What is the meaning of “A riot”?
a) A violent disturbance
b) Something so funny it causes an uproar of laughter
c) A quiet moment
d) A serious event
Quiz 10: Side-Splitting
When someone says, “Side-splitting,” what are they describing?
a) A painful injury
b) Something so funny it causes intense laughter
c) A boring situation
d) A confusing moment
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- a
- b
- b
- b
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for funny are like comedic gems, adding sparkle and laughter to your stories about humorous moments, silly mishaps, or witty exchanges. By weaving these 48 expressions into your conversations, you can amplify the joy of sharing a good laugh, whether you’re recounting a prank, a joke, or an absurd situation. So, the next time you’re swapping funny tales with friends, let these idioms bring the humor to life with their vivid imagery and playful charm.