salt; atticism†; salt, esprit, point, fancy, whim, drollery, pleasantry.
farce, buffoonery, fooling, tomfoolery; shenanigan [U.S.],
harlequinade &c 599 [Obs.]; broad farce, broad humor; fun, espieglerie
[Fr.]; vis comica [Lat.].
jocularity; jocosity, jocoseness†; facetiousness; waggery,
waggishness; whimsicality; comicality &c 853.
banter, badinage, retort, repartee, smartness, ready wit, quid-
pro-quo; ridicule &c 856.
jest, joke, jape, jibe; facetiae [Lat.], levity, quips and cranks;
capital joke; canorae nugae [Lat.]; standing jest, standing joke,
private joke, conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity, concetto†,
plaisanterie [Fr.], brilliant idea; merry thought, bright thought,
happy thought; sally; flash of wit, flash of merriment; scintillation;
mot [Fr.], mot pour rire [Fr.]; witticism, smart saying, bon-mot, jeu
d'esprit [Fr.], epigram; jest book; dry joke, quodlibet, cream of the
jest.
word-play, jeu de mots [Fr.]; play of words, play upon words; pun,
punning; double entente, double entendre &c (ambiguity) 520 [Fr.];
quibble, verbal quibble; conundrum &c (riddle) 533; anagram, acrostic,
double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade†.
old joke, tired joke, flat joke, Joe Miller†.
V. joke, jest, crack a joke, make a joke, jape, cut jokes; perpetrate a
joke; pun, perpetrate a pun; make fun of, make merry with; kid, kid
around, fool around; set the table in a roar &c (amuse) 840.
retort; banter &c (ridicule) 856; ridentem dicere verum [Lat.];
joke at one's expense.
take in jest.
[make a joke which is not funny] bomb, fall flat; go over like a
lead balloon.
Adj. witty, attic; quick-witted, nimble-witted; smart; jocular, jocose,
humorous; facetious, waggish, whimsical; kidding, joking, puckish;
playful &c 840; merry and wise; pleasant, sprightly, light, spirituel†,
sparkling, epigrammatic, full of point, ben trovato [It]; comic &c 853.
zany, madcap.
funny, amusing &c (amusement) 840.
Adv. jokingly, in joke, in jest, in sport, in play.
Phr. adhibenda est in jocando moderatio [Lat.]; gentle dullness ever
loves a joke [Pope]; leave this keen encounter of our wits [Richard
III]; just joking, just kidding; surely you jest!.