Language: en
Meaning: (idiomatic)A situation that is badlyplanned, orillogical.Mayor Smith's new traffic rules were abad joke.1938, Robert William Seton-Watson,Britain and the Dictators: A Survey of Post-war British Policy, page172:Disarmament must be total, or it was merely "abad joke".1940, Kenelm Foss,Here Lies Richard Brinsley Sheridan, page267:But it is amusing to note that whenever the tables were turned on him he would mutter "Bad joke. Verybad joke".1986, Claire Martin,The Legacy, page25:"Maybe it was just abad joke. " "Abad joke!" shrieked David, and in that cry I could detect all the ancient terrors of Israel.2002, Mikael af Malmborg, Bo Stråth,The Meaning of Europe, page272:It is thisbad jokewhich, almost one century later, was still to be found in the government's campaign of 'We are Europe' from 1994.2002, Cesar Guerra,Hijacked to Havana!, page28:This might be abad jokefor you and to the people able to fly back to Miami but this is not a joke at all to me.2007, Keith Olbarmann,Countdown with Keith Olbermann:Upon seeing Keyes' face, 15MSNBCexecutives promptly resigned.Alan Keyes?Alan Keyes Is Making SenseAlan Keyes? You've gotta be kidding me. Incidentally, the name of that show always seemed like abad joketo me.2020December 30, Christian Wolmar, “An annus horribilis... and 2021 looks just as bleak”, inRail, page35:Perhaps if he spent less time putting reallybad jokeson Twitter (How should you drain pasta at Christmas? Use an Advent Colander- yes really!), the minister might know what is happening in his Department.
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