a thing said or done for amusement; a joke 俏皮话,笑话;玩笑 there are jests about administrative gaffes. 有许多管理方面出丑的笑话。 [mass noun]it was said in jest. 只是开玩笑说说而已。 ■(archaic)an object of derision (古)笑料,笑柄 lowly virtue is the jest of fools. 谦卑是傻瓜的笑柄。
verb
[no obj.]speak or act in a joking manner 开玩笑,打趣 you jest, surely?. 想必你在开玩笑吧?。 [with direct speech]‘I don't know about maturing,’ jests William. “我不知道什么是成熟,”威廉打趣道。
派生 语源
late Middle English: from earlier gest, from Old French geste, from Latin gesta 'actions, exploits', from gerere 'do'. The original sense was 'exploit, heroic deed', hence a narrative of such deeds (originally in verse); later the term denoted an idle tale, hence a joke (mid 16th cent.)