Meaning of pull someone's leg | Babel Free

Definitions

1. To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting. It usually implies teasing or goading by jokingly lying.
   idiomatic
2. To extract money from someone (by taking out a loan or by swindling).
   idiomatic, obsolete

Equivalents

Examples

“I hadn't pulled Mrs. Barstow's leg for any of that stuff, she had just handed it to me on a platter, and that wasn't my fault.”

“No, I'm just pulling your leg, it's crucifixion really.”

“I'm very glad to hear of his good fortune; but it's a deuced strange thing, for I saw him at the club last night and he never said a word of it. I'll pull his leg when I see him.”

“The verb 'to-pull-his-leg' means to extract from his pocket all the lucre it will yield.”

“"I would 'pull his leg,' but Laura will not work with me." The expression "pulling his leg," Miss Sullivan explained as meaning to coax or wheedle his wealth out of him.”

CEFR level