the joke is on someone

Definitions

Someone is the butt of a joke or is experiencing a negative outcome, especially if that person was trying to make someone else the butt of the joke or subject them to the negative outcome.

idiomatic

Examples

“As only a small per cent of the dealers use⟳ the word "Leghorn," and the ones who do try⟳ to use⟳ it can't tell⟳ a Leghorn from a mixed breed⟳ or from many other breeds, the most of the joke is on someone else.”

“Like⟳ Cole, we see⟳ through the penny-trick instantly, but the joke is on us, and on Malcolm himself, because we fall⟳ for the same joke on the level of the film as a whole.”

““Guess⟳ what? The joke's on you because I'm going places, getting out of this nowhere town.””

“"Well, the joke's on you because I'm resigning from the gymnast team. And if I resign, so will my friends, particularly when I tell⟳ them why."”

CEFR level