Definition

Noun: * A joke or trick intended to deceive someone playfully, making them believe something that is not true. It is a form of light-hearted deception for amusement, not meant to cause harm.

Usage

• The word "leg-pull" is a countable noun. It is primarily used in informal, conversational contexts.
• It is often used with verbs like "be," "have," or "play" to describe the action of tricking someone.
• Example: "Don't be upset; it was just a friendly leg-pull."

Examples

• "His story about meeting the president was just a leg-pull; he never left town."
• "I fell for his leg-pull about the office being closed on Monday."
• "She's known for her good-natured leg-pulls on April Fools' Day."

Advanced Usage

• "To have a leg-pull with someone": To play a trick on someone.
  • We had a leg-pull with the new intern, telling him the CEO wanted to see him about his "interesting" tie.
• "The subject/target of a leg-pull": The person who is being tricked.
  • He was the subject of a good-natured leg-pull by his colleagues.

Variants and Related Words

• Leg-pulling (noun, uncountable): The act or practice of playing such tricks.
  • There was a lot of leg-pulling going on in the office that day.

Synonyms

• Practical joke: A trick played on someone to cause amusement.
• Hoax: A deceptive act, but often with a more serious or widespread intent than a leg-pull.
• Prank: A mischievous trick or joke.
• Wind-up (UK informal): An act of teasing or deceiving someone playfully.

Related Phrases

• Pull someone's leg (phrasal verb, idiom): To tease or deceive someone playfully. This is the verbal form from which the noun "leg-pull" is derived.
  • Is he serious, or is he just pulling my leg?

Noun

1. as a joke: trying to make somebody believe something that is not true