noun / verb
jape
JAYP/dʒeɪp/
A playful joke or trick, or to make one.
The woman's rubber-thumb jape makes the older man laugh when she reveals the trick.
Etymology
The noun first meant a trick or cheat, then a joke or jest, shifting from deception toward playful amusement. Its deeper origin is uncertain.
More examples
- She taped a paper mustache to his portrait as a jape.
- We jape about our terrible cooking while the soup simmers.
- They japed with each other throughout the long bus ride.
Forms
jape · japes · japed · japing