Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Pull someone's leg
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Pull someone's leg" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourDecisions & Perspectives collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Pull someone's leg
To playfully deceive or tease someone, usually by telling them something untrue as a joke.
History & Origin
While the precise origin is debated, the idiom likely dates to the 1800s. It is often theorized to refer to street thieves or 'trippers' who would literally pull the legs of passersby to make them fall so their accomplices could rob them, eventually evolving into the figurative sense of 'tripping' someone up with a lie for amusement.
Examples
Don't worry about what he said about the bonus; he was just pulling your leg!
I hope you realized I was only pulling your leg during our meeting when I suggested we switch to writing code in Latin.
In his satirical essay, the author attempts to pull the reader's leg by presenting absurd premises as established historical facts.
The celebrity host later clarified that his shocking announcement on live television was merely an attempt to pull the audience's leg.
I apologize if my earlier comment caused any alarm; I was simply pulling your leg to lighten the mood before our serious discussion.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. After the stressful presentation, he felt like someone was pulling his leg to offer him a new job.
B. I was just pulling your leg when I told you the office would be closed for the entire month of August.
C. The surgeon had to pull his leg during the procedure to ensure the bone healed correctly.
D. He is so clumsy that he is always pulling his leg whenever he tries to walk up the stairs.