- gallows humour
- British & Australian, American & Australian
humour that makes unpleasant things, such as death, seem funny.
Many of the patients I worked with knew they were dying. There was a lot of gallows humour.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
gallows humour
Look at other dictionaries:
gallows humour — noun Grim, sardonic humour • • • Main Entry: ↑gallows * * * gallows humour UK US noun [uncountable] humour about unpleasant or serious things such as death or disease Thesaurus: quality of being funny and funny situationssynonym * * * ˌgallows… … Useful english dictionary
gallows humour — If people try to make fun or laugh when things are very frightening, dangerous, life threatening or hopeless, it is gallows humour (or gallows humor ) … The small dictionary of idiomes
gallows humour — gallows .humour BrE gallows humor AmE n [U] humour which makes very unpleasant or dangerous things seem funny … Dictionary of contemporary English
gallows humour — ► NOUN ▪ grim and ironical humour in a desperate or hopeless situation … English terms dictionary
gallows humour — BrE gallows humor AmE noun (U) humour which makes very unpleasant or dangerous things seem funny … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
gallows humour — /gæloʊz ˈhjumə/ (say galohz hyoohmuh) noun macabre, ironic humour. Also, gallows humor …
gallows humour — noun grim and ironical humour in a desperate or hopeless situation … English new terms dictionary
gallows humour — UK / US noun [uncountable] humour about unpleasant or serious things such as death or disease … English dictionary
Gallows humor — (Galgenhumor in German), derives from gallows which is a platform with a noose used to execute people by hanging. Gallows humor is the type of humor that still manages to be funny in the face of, and in response to, a perfectly hopeless situation … Wikipedia
gallows — has been treated since the 16c as a singular noun, with a (rarely used) plural gallowses. Gallows humour means ‘grim and ironical humour’ … Modern English usage
