“All the fun is in how you say a thing.” 美國大詩人 Robert Frost 說得很對，英語充滿機智幽默，假如說得有趣，自會樂在其中。Funny ha-ha 是滑稽可笑（amusing），Funny peculiar 是稀奇古怪（strange），不容混淆。
Some Common Expressions of Fun
Have fun 盡情玩吧！In fun 開玩笑，as a joke to amuse somebody：I didn’t mean to upset you. It was just said in fun and without serious or harmful intention；for fun 為了好玩（for pleasure）：He is learning French for fun；fun and games 嬉戲：activities that are not serious and that other people may disapprove of，例如：School isn’t all fun and games 學校是一本正經的學習地方，不是胡鬧的場所；a sense of fun 幽默感：You have to have a sense of fun to be a good teacher 好老師要有幽默感。
Some Common Expressions of a Joke
Meant as a joke 說着玩：Come on. Don’t be too serious. What I said is meant as a joke；play a joke on you 跟你開玩笑；但有些人不開得起玩笑，they can’t take a joke。有時，the joke goes too far，開玩笑，玩得過火。It got beyond a joke：it’s no longer a laughing matter，笑話超過了開玩笑的範圍、令人惱火或無法接受。A broken leg is no laughing matter；this is something too serious to make jokes about，你不可以將自已的快樂，建築在別人痛苦之上。
Play a practical joke 的意思，相等於 make fun of somebody/something，取笑；嘲笑；開玩笑：She wears such strange hats! 你取笑她帶的帽子非常古怪！
A practical joke 惡作劇。愚人節是典型惡作劇的日子：April Fools’ Day is the classic occasion for playing practical jokes on your family and colleagues。
Joker 指愛開玩笑的人，喜歡捉弄人的詼諧者；a practical joker is a person who likes to make jokes。
Humorous/Witty/Comic
三個有趣的形容詞，通常指引起歡笑或炮製娛樂，但用法稍有分別：
Humorous 有幽默感的，funny and enjoyable；showing a sense of humour；指引人發笑的成功嘗試，例如：a humorous fellow，一個幽默的傢伙。”Soft words are hard arguments”，一句幽默的雋語。
Witty 妙趣橫生的、機智巧妙的，clever and amusing，指聰明的幽默，例如：a witty remark 是機智的話；a witty parody of television commercials 便是對電視廣告節目的巧妙模仿。
Comic 滑稽而使人發笑的，that makes you laugh。Comic 多用於指作品、戲劇、事物等故意營造戲劇性的喜劇效果，例如：a comic performance：北方流行的滑稽相聲，南方的棟篤笑，西方的 stand-up comedy 獨角喜劇，有時甚至帶有刻薄的諷刺（biting satire）。
幾個有關幽默又有趣的慣用語：
You’re pulling my leg = You are teasing me and telling me something which is not true 捉弄人；和某某開玩笑。
She said it tongue in cheek = She was not being serious and she was saying it as a joke 半開玩笑地。
I laughed my head off = I laughed loudly and for a long time 大笑不止。
They had a good laugh about it = They found something very funny and amusing 覺得可笑、有趣。
We were in stitches = We are laughing a lot and helplessly 笑破肚皮。
Humour（幽默）is the quality in something that makes it funny or amusing.
英語中，humorous idioms 幽默慣用語俯拾即是，下面是最常見的一些例子：
as clear as mud = very hard to understand 說的話很難懂、一點也不清楚。
the kiss of death = an action or situation that will bring bad luck or spoil an activity 表面有利，實則有害的事物，an event that seems good, but is certain to make something fail 死亡之吻。
a call of nature = a need to go to the toilet 生理需要，指人有三急，要上廁所。
famous last words = this idiom is used when you think somebody is being too confident about something that is going to happen 表示某人盲目樂觀，例如他自吹自擂：「一切都在掌握之中」，你知道他明明「淨吹牛」。
fell off the back of a lorry = the goods are probably stolen 貨物來路不明，可能是賊贓。
the lights are on but no one’s home = stupid, someone is not thinking clearly or not paying attention 糊里糊塗、沒頭腦、心不在焉。
for reasons best known to himself = you don’t know or understand why he has done something 原因，只有他自己才知道！
What planet is she on? = Her ideas are not realistic or practical 某人像外星人，她的想法，完全不切實際。
本專欄逢周二、五刊登
