Let’s be honest, in English most idioms are hilarious since they don’t make sense when taken literally. You may have heard some of the funniest English idioms like raining cats and dogs, in a pickle, and ants in your pants. These provide amusement for kids and adults alike!
In this list of funny idioms we have a few which contain the word ‘funny’, but a lot more which are just fun to use. Take a look and see which ones you can use to add some laughter to your conversation. We have included definitions and examples, so you can be confident people are appreciating your humor rather than making fun of your English.
Funny idioms with the word ‘funny’
We’ll begin with some idioms that actually contain the word ‘funny’.
Funny bone
What a great way to start our funny idioms list with a two-for-one. The first definition relates to your elbow. The next time you hit your elbow in a particular spot you may feel a tingling or prickly pain. Although it doesn’t hurt, it feels strange and funny. That’s why native speakers say they hit their funny bone.
“I’m not sure if it want to laugh or cry. I’ve just knocked my funny bone.”
But is your funny bone even a bone?
The second way this term could be used is to refer to a person’s sense of humor or ability to make people laugh.
“That lecture was so boring. I don’t think the new professor has a funny bone.”
No funny business
This short phrase is asking that nothing dishonest or dodgy happens. It covers a wide range of topics from bad business practices to personal choices.
“I’m going to look through the accounts again to check there’s no funny business!”
“Your father and I are going out tonight. No funny business while we’re away, okay?”
A rich man’s joke is always funny
This saying is part of a couplet (a two-lined poem):
Money is honey, my little sonny,
– Thomas E. Brown.
And a rich man’s joke is always funny
Money is power, so they say. In order to ingratiate* yourself with your boss or a person in authority, you may find yourself laughing at their jokes even if they are not that funny.
“Look at everyone gathering around the CEO. I guess a rich man’s joke is always funny.”
*Ingratiate: Go out of your way to make yourself liked by someone else by showing them attention, flattering them, or pleasing them.
Check out our idioms about money if you want more like this.
The funny farm
Simply put, this idiom is a derogatory slang term for a psychiatric hospital or ‘insane asylum’. It wouldn’t be appropriate to use it in formal or polite conversation, or when talking about someone who really has a serious mental health issue. Instead, it could be used when joking between friends or family.
“My kids are driving me crazy! I’m going to end up in the funny farm at this rate.”
If in doubt, avoid using this one unless you are confident you have judged the tone correctly.
Funny tummy
Some funny English idioms aren’t about pleasant topics! If someone says they have a funny tummy, it’s a polite way of saying they have a stomachache or diarrhea. It describes any kind of unwell feeling in your digestive system.
“I’m not sure what I ate last night but I have a bit of a funny tummy now.”
Learn more idioms about health and sickness.
Funny idioms and phrases that make almost no sense at all!
Laugh your head off
If you find these funny idioms hilarious, you might end up laughing your head off.
Don’t worry, though. Because this is an idiom about laughing, it doesn’t actually involve losing your head. It just means to laugh a lot!
“The movie had us all laughing our heads off!”
In a pickle
This has to be one of the best funny idioms. Think about it; how can you be IN a pickle?!
It actually isn’t anything to do with food but is in fact used when you are in trouble or have a difficult choice to make. You wouldn’t say this in a serious manner.
“If the cake maker doesn’t confirm soon I’m going to be in a pickle.”
“You have got yourself into a right pickle there, let me help!”
Bull in a china shop
Chinaware is delicate and easily breakable. Imagine what it would be like if a huge bull was racing around a shop full of these items! We can guess a lot of them would be knocked over and damaged or broken.
So, someone could be described as a bull in a china shop if they are awkward and clumsy and often break things. It could also describe someone who doesn’t think carefully or act tactfully.
“My grandson came around yesterday and he was like a bull in a china shop.”
But what do you think a bull in a china shop would really look like? Believe it or not, the Mythbusters have answered that question for you!
Running around like a headless chicken
You may not believe the origin of this strange saying. Occasionally, when a chicken’s head is cut off it doesn’t drop down dead immediately. Instead, it can run around without its head for a while in a disorganized, uncontrollable fashion.
It has even been known for a chicken to live up to 18 months without its head!
So if you are acting in a slightly panicked way with a lot of rushing around that isn’t effective, you may look like you’re running around like a headless chicken.
“I have so much to today that I feel like I’m running around like a headless chicken.”
“Stop running around like a headless chicken. Just rest for a while, then everything will be easier.”
Running around in circles is another running idiom that describes a similar action.
Hold your horses
There are plenty of funny American idioms and hold your horses has to be our favorite. The meaning is not animal-related but in fact an informal way of asking someone to wait a moment.
“Hold your horses… Did you just say that you have a new girlfriend?!”
When pigs fly
This is another animal-related idiom that is funny to try and imagine.
So, when do you think you’ll see pigs fly? Never? Exactly. The saying when pigs fly is a comical or sarcastic way to say that something is never going to happen!
“You’d like a new car for your 17th birthday? Sure, no problem. When pigs fly.”
“I’ll give up smoking when pigs fly.”
The elephant in the room
Funny idioms and phrases don’t get much better than this! The ‘elephant’ from the saying the elephant in the room represents a big problem, issue or topic that is obvious to everyone and should be discussed. However, no one wishes to mention it since it’s more comfortable to avoid confronting it.
“So I guess we’re not talking about the elephant in the room.”
“The elephant in the room is, of course, the way in which the layoffs were handled.”
Ants in your pants
This is a funny idiom for kids because it’s often used to refer to children. Imagine having ants in your pants (or underwear). It would be hard to sit still and you’d end up wriggling around.
This is exactly the behavior being described here: fidgeting and not being able to remain still, whether because of nervousness or because you’re a child with a lot of energy and a short attention span!
“Matthew, sit still for five minutes. It’s like you have ants in your pants.”
A longer and even funnier version of the phrase to use with kids is: ‘Ants in your pants makes your belly button dance.’
Easy peasy lemon squeezy
You can use this fun expression, easy peasy lemon squeezy, to say that something is very easy to do. It can be shortened to just easy peasy, which still makes playful use of assonance. The full version is more often used by or when speaking to children.
“You need me to set up your new phone? Easy peasy.”
There are many more fun sayings about things you find easy.
By the skin of your teeth
When you only just do something by a narrow margin, you do so by the skin of your teeth. Try using it instead of words like ‘narrowly’ or ‘barely’.
“You submitted your book report by the skin of your teeth today.”
“They held on to the championship by the skin of their teeth.”
A wet blanket
Are you trying to figure out what a wet blanket could possibly mean? Perhaps something to do with swimming or going to the beach on a hot summer’s day? No – you’d need some summer idioms for that.
Believe it or not, it’s a way of describing someone who spoils the fun of others because of their lack of desire to get involved and have a good time.
“I was really enjoying the office party but the new guy was a bit of a wet blanket.”
You may also hear the term party pooper, which means more or less the same thing.
Best thing since sliced bread
When you think something or someone is the best thing ever; a great development, invention or idea, you may say it is the best thing since sliced bread.
“I love my new phone. It’s the best thing since sliced bread.”
As cool as a cucumber
We seem to have a lot of food-related funny idioms and perhaps that’s because imagining food in different ways can be hilarious. When you are as cool as a cucumber you’re laid back and relaxed. You act like nothing has happened or are just chilled out and calm.
“Don’t be nervous about your new job. Walk into the office and act as cool as a cucumber.”
This one also features on our list of cool idioms.
The lights are on but no one’s home
Although this expression made it to our list of the funniest idioms, one interpretation isn’t very kind. Normally it refers to someone who is not paying attention or is distracted. However, saying the lights are on but no one’s home could be a way of calling someone stupid, which is never a nice thing to do.
“She just sat there staring out of the window instead of working. The lights were on but no one was home!”
Put a sock in it
If you need to ask someone to be quiet or stop talking altogether, ask them to put a sock in it.
“Alright, you’ve had your say. Now put a sock in it and and let someone else speak.”
This is a colloquial expression and not one you should use in a business meeting.
It’s always interesting to learn the history behind idioms. In this case, it’s linked to the gramophone. When people used them in the past there was no volume feature. This meant the only way to make them quieter was to put a sock in the top part (the horn-shaped speaker part) to muffle the sound.
Blue in the face
The English language is full of funny idioms for kids. They will love the thought of someone turning blue in the face, although this actually refers to someone who is looking exhausted from strain, anger or great effort.
This is most often used in the phrase ‘argue until you’re blue in the face’, followed by a claim that the effort won’t have any effect on the situation.
“You can argue until you’re blue in the face but I’m not letting you have your ears pierced until you’re 14.”
“I feel like I’ve nagged and nagged you until I’m blue in the face and you’re still not listening.”
Don’t confuse this with being red-faced or other colorful idioms.
Have a butcher’s
This is a very typical funny British idiom as it uses something called cockney rhyming slang. The full expression is “have a butcher’s hook“. The word hook rhymes with look so it means to take a look at something.
“Vera, come to the window and have a butcher’s at the neighbor’s new car!”
Another fun idiom similar to this is take a gander.
So, did you manage to guess the meanings of any of these funny idioms before you read about them? Some of them are very peculiar indeed! If you want to keep that smile on your face, why not read some expressions about happiness and laughter next?
If you can think of any other funny idioms for adults or kids that we’ve missed, please leave a comment below to share them.
