# pull someone's leg

idiom · CEFR B1

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pull-someones-leg
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting. It usually implies teasing or goading by jokingly lying.

## Examples

- Don't get angry; I am only pulling your leg.
- You are pulling my leg about the surprise party, aren't you?
- He told me that we had to work on Saturday, but he was just pulling my leg to see my reaction.
- My sister loves to pull my leg by claiming she won the lottery, but I never believe her anymore because she does it every week.
- The tour guide was pulling the tourists' legs when he told them that the local squirrels could speak three different languages.
- The veteran reporter enjoyed pulling the intern's leg by inventing ridiculous stories about the company's history, laughing when the young man believed every word.

## Origin

The phrase originates in Scotland, where it initially described the act of making a fool of a person, frequently by means of cheating them. One theory suggests the expression derives from the physical act of yanking or pulling a person’s leg to cause them to stumble. The intention was to make the victim appear foolish by causing a loss of balance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.