I recently went to an event hosted by the Harlem Globetrotters with my kids. As I was looking around, I noticed that people in the crowd reacted very differently to the comedic skits . Some people smiled, others smirked and others even belly laughed.
This got me thinking. How many verbs related to laughing can I come up with in 10 minutes?
Do you use these verbs?
- laugh: express joy by making a sound, moving the face & body. I laugh every time I watch an old episode of Three’s Company.
- giggle: laugh quietly and repeatedly because you are nervous or embarrassed.
The teenage girls giggled when they met their favorite singer.
- snicker : laugh quietly & unkindly at something that is not really funny. The school kids snickered when the teacher slipped and fell on his bottom
- burst into laughter: suddenly start laughing. Everyone in the office burst into laughter when George walked in wearing a clown nose.
- laugh your head off: (informal) laugh a lot and loudly. Sarah told us one funny story after another, and we laughed our heads off!
- smile: make one’s mouth curve upwards, in order to be friendly or show happiness As David left, he smiled at his girlfriend and blew her a kiss.
- grin: smile widely. When Maria opened her present, she grinned with pleasure
Are these idioms part of your repertoire?
- laugh all the way to the bank: make a lot of money without making much sacrifice . Julia will be laughing all the way to the bank soon. She had such a great business idea.
- laugh in somebody’s face: to behave in a way that shows no respect for others. I asked my supervisor for a pay raise and she just laughed in my face.
- laugh something off: pretend something is less serious than it really is by laughing about it. My kid me I was a terrible mom when I removed his TV rights for 1 week. I laughed it off.
How do you pronounce laugh?
This one is a little tricky. It reads L-A-U-G but you pronounce it L-A-F (US) or L-O-F (BE). Moreover, the past of laugh is pronounced L-A-F-D (US) or L-O-F-D (BE) so no syllabic change .
p.s. this post was written by Crissy….who wants to make the world a happier place.