Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference - joke

n. & v. --n. 1 a a thing said or done to excite laughter. b a witticism or jest. 2 a ridiculous thing, person, or circumstance. --v. 1 intr. make jokes. 2 tr. poke fun at; banter. Phrases and idioms no joke colloq. a serious matter. Derivatives jokingly adv. joky adj. (also jokey). jokily adv. jokiness n. Etymology: 17th c. (joque), orig. sl.: perh. f. L jocus jest