# pull someone's leg

Pronunciation: say "puul sum-wunz LEG" /ˌpʊl ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈlɛɡ/

## Idiom

1. To tease or fool someone, usually by telling a playful lie meant to provoke a reaction.
   - Simple: To tease or trick someone by telling a funny lie, just for fun.
   - _My brother loves to pull my leg whenever I'm taking myself too seriously._
   - _We only realized he was pulling our leg about the surprise party after we'd planned everything._

## Idiom

2. To get money out of someone, whether by arranging a loan or by outright swindling. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To get money out of someone, often by tricking them.

## Origin

The phrase comes from Scotland, where it originally meant to make a fool of someone, often by cheating them. One theory holds that it derives from tripping a person by yanking or pulling their leg, making them stumble and look foolish.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/pull-someone-s-leg (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).