Pulling Someone’s Leg

The Definition

To deceive someone in a playful or humorous way; to tease or lead someone to believe something that isn't true. It is the "gentle" version of a prank, though its origins are anything but.

The Deep Dive

This is a "high-tension" piece of junk knowledge from the dark, foggy streets of 18th and 19th-century London. While we now use it for a harmless joke, the "leg pull" began as a specialized technique used by "street Arabs" and "footpads" (muggers).

  • The "Tripping" Tactic: In the crowded, narrow alleys of Victorian London, thieves worked in pairs. One thief (the "puller") would use a wire, a cane, or a literal hand to snag the ankle of a well-dressed pedestrian.

  • The "Tumble": As the victim tripped and "pulled their leg" forward to catch their balance, they would fall face-first into the mud.

  • The "Snatch": While the victim was disoriented and sprawling on the ground, the second thief would swoop in to snatch their pocket watch, wallet, or silk handkerchief.

  • The "Befuddled" Shift: To "pull someone's leg" was to make them look foolish and helpless. By the 1880's, the phrase had lost its association with violent robbery and moved into the world of social "tripping"—making someone "stumble" over a ridiculous story or a fake piece of news.

The phrase reached peak popularity in the United States in the early 20th century, where it was adopted by the "vaudeville" crowd. It became the defining term for a "tall tale" that was just believable enough to make the listener "trip" over the truth.

Fast Facts

  • The "Leg-Puller" Title: In the 1890's, a "leg-puller" was a specific slang term for a person who tells "whoppers"—outrageous lies intended to see how much a gullible person can swallow.

  • The "Pulling Your Chain" Cousin: This is a linguistic relative to "pulling someone's chain," though that likely refers to the mechanical pull of a 19th-century toilet or the lead chain of a captive animal.

  • The First Print: The phrase appeared in the Diary of a Scottish James Edward in 1883, and was being used in American newspapers by 1888 to describe a "practical joke."

    References

  • Mayhew, H. (1851). London Labour and the London Poor. (On the tactics of street thieves).

  • Ammer, C. (2013). The Dictionary of Clichés. Skyhorse Publishing.

  • Flexner, S. B. (1982). Listening to America. Simon & Schuster.

  • The Oxford English Dictionary. (2026). Leg (n.1). Oxford University Press.