in jest
in jest — 慣用語
1. said or done purely to amuse people, without having any real or honest intention
開玩笑地
以玩笑方式表達，非認真
said or done purely to amuse people, without having any real or honest intention behind it.
Hari told his landlord he was moving out, but he said it only in jest.
Hari 告訴房東他要搬走，但只是開玩笑地說而已。
said something in jest — verb of speaking + in jest at end of clause
Tomás called his sister a bad cook, but it was only in jest.
Tomás 說他妹妹廚藝不好，但那只是開玩笑的。
was in jest — copular construction with in jest as subject complement
Élise's threat to quit the book club was made in jest during a debate.
Élise 威脅要退出讀書會，但只是在辯論中開玩笑而已。
Chidi pretended to throw his phone into the lake, but he did it in jest.
Chidi 假裝要把手機丟進湖裡，但他只是鬧著玩的。
The comment about firing the delivery team was said in jest at the morning meeting.
關於開除送貨團隊的評論，是在早會上開玩笑說的。
- jokingly
more common in everyday speech; 'in jest' sounds slightly more formal or literary
- playfully
emphasises lighthearted fun rather than humour specifically
- teasingly
suggests the remark was aimed at a specific person, often to provoke a reaction
- facetiously
formal or ironic register; implies a flippant attitude about a serious topic
文法句型
say/tell/remark + [something] + in jest
be + in jest
用法筆記
Commonly paired with verbs of speaking such as 'say', 'remark', 'tell', or 'comment'. The phrase typically appears after the verb phrase or at the end of a clause. In British English, 'in jest' is slightly more frequent than in American English, though it is understood in both varieties.