"it's a joke, Joyce" means: That was a joke, so don't take it seriously.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
it's a joke, Joyce
(Australia, informal) That was a joke, so don't take it seriously.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1960 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(Australia, informal) That was a joke, so don't take it seriously.
"it's a joke, Joyce" means: That was a joke, so don't take it seriously.. This is informal slang, common in casual speech, texting and social media, but not appropriate for school work, applications or professional settings. There is no real cause for concern in itself; it is everyday peer vocabulary. If your child uses it, a light comment about audience and register is usually enough — no need to escalate. Context, more than the word, tells you whether to follow up.
"it's a joke, Joyce" means: That was a joke, so don't take it seriously.. Register: informal slang, fine in casual conversation, texting and social media but not in academic essays, business writing or formal speech. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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Semantically related
- 71%
The act of telling or engaging in jokes.
- 70%
(British, US, Ireland, colloquial, transitive) Kidding, trying to fool.
- 69%
(UK, MTE, slang) funny or entertaining.
- 67%
Just kidding. Tacked onto the end of a statement to retroactively flag it as a joke, often because the speaker isn't sure the tone landed. Sometimes used dishonestly to soften a comment that was, in fact, meant seriously.
- 66%
(UK, MTE, slang) Really good.