no joke

1. Also, no laughing matter. A serious issue, as in Missing the last flight out was no joke, or This outbreak of flu is no laughing matter. The first term dates from about 1800, and the variant from the second half of the 1500s.

Example Sentences

At the moment, these transactions and holdings may look good on paper, and the trading-fee revenues are no joke.

From Slate

Before closing the show with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” her Latin Grammy-winning 2023 collaboration with the Argentine producer Bizarrap, Shakira reached back to start her encore with “She Wolf,” which when you think about it is a pretty unlikely hit to have endured for a decade and a half: a creeping disco-rock thumper about lycanthropy — “Darling, it is no joke / This is lycanthropy,” she sings — that’s somehow become an anthem of self-empowerment.

From Los Angeles Times

That outbreak killed ten people and sickened dozens more across 18 states — a reminder that listeria is no joke.

From Salon

Running a high-end restaurant is no joke.

From Los Angeles Times

"That was no joke - it was just how highly rated Felix was at that time."

From BBC

Related Words

• complete 
• full 
• infinite 
• outright 
• pure 
• sheer 
• simple 
• unadulterated 
• unconditional 
• unlimited 
• unqualified 
• utter