take the mickey
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editPossibly from Cockney rhyming slang “to take the Mickey Bliss” (for take the piss).
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
edittake the mickey (third-person singular simple present takes the mickey, present participle taking the mickey, simple past took the mickey, past participle taken the mickey)
- (intransitive, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang, idiomatic) To ridicule or mock.
- Synonyms: take the piss; see also Thesaurus:mock
- Are you takin’ the mickey? You’ll get yer ’ead bashed in.
- 2008 November 15, Kenneth Nguyen, “Who's laughing now?”, in The Age newspaper[1]:
- For the last eight years, taking the mickey out of George Bush has been great, victimless fun. Like taking candy from babies or shooting aquatically-challenged fish in size-challenged barrels.
Translations
editto ridicule or mock
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Further reading
edit- taking the piss on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
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