Feifei Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Feifei and joining me is Rob…
Rob Hello! Hey, Feifei. Have you heard the news?
Feifei Gossip, you mean.
Rob No, no - it’s true! We’ve been given the day off! So, sorry, I’m not going to hang around - I’m off to the beach.
Feifei Hold on! Who says?
Rob Neil. He said the boss told him that we’ve all worked so hard we don’t have to work today!
FeifeiHmm. It sounds like a wind-up to me – a wind-up is another way of saying ‘a trick or joke’. I’m sure Neil was joking!
Rob April Fool, Feifei! I was joking! I wanted to trick you – to see if you’d leave the office and… take the day off.
Feifei Ha ha, very funny. Well, actually, I have got the day off today. So the joke is on you, and it starts now. Goodbye.
Rob Feifei, where are you going? Come back and explain what ’the joke is on you’ means… please!
Feifei ….OK, Rob! When ’the joke is on someone’, it means the person who has tried to make you look silly has ended up looking silly themselves. The joke has backfired. And now you look silly, Rob.
Rob Point made, Feifei. Here are some more examples of this phrase in action…
Examples Daisy laughed at my ’terrible’ dress sense, until she found out I was wearing a designer dress – I guess the joke’s on her now!
Ha, you thought I’d never beat your time for completing the marathon. But I have, so the joke’s on you!
I know you were trying to be funny by saying I’d never pass my exam. But now you’re the only one who hasn’t, so the joke’s on you, I’m afraid!
Feifei This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English and we’re looking at the phrase ’the joke is on someone,’ which means someone has tried to make someone else look silly but ended up looking silly themselves! So this perfectly describes you, Rob – the joke about taking a day off is ‘on you’.
Rob I was just having a laugh at April Fool’s Day. But, hold on. Where is everybody? The office is empty.
Feifei Ha – not another one of your ‘jokes’?
Rob No, seriously – look, there’s an email. It says ‘Due to a power failure the office is out of action. You can all take the day off.’ Ha, looks like we’ve all got a day off after all – the jokes on you, Feifei!
Feifei Ah well, enjoy your free time.
Rob Fancy going to the beach?
Feifei No, thanks. Bye, Rob.
**Rob
**I was joking. Bye.