# What does ‘pull someone's leg’ mean?

To “pull someone's leg” means to tease or trick someone playfully. The phrase is late 19th-century; its origin is uncertain, and Brewer's does not fix a single explanation.

## What it means

- The phrase is late 19th-century; its origin is uncertain, and Brewer's does not fix a single explanation.

## Action steps

1. Signals that a claim is a joke, not to be taken seriously.
2. Example: Relax — I'm just pulling your leg.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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