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He didn't see the funny side.

Phrase of the day

Discover a new phrase each day to use in your English! These are special phrases and sayings that English speakers use all the time, but you don't often see these phrases in English course books or other study material. Visit daily to learn some popular English phrases on a regular basis.

3 July 2026

He didn't see the funny side.

We use this expression to say that someone doesn’t think that something negative can also be funny. We also use this expression to say that someone is very serious and doesn’t laugh about a situation.

Written: Yes

Spoken: Yes

Formal: No

Informal: Yes

Example 1

Oh dear, I feel so bad. I stole Rachel’s car keys for a joke and she got really angry.

She didn’t see the funny side of it?

No, not at all! She was so angry.

Example 2

Some people say that he doesn’t see the funny side of things. What do you think?

Actually he seems quite relaxed to me.

I agree. I think he’s quite open to laughing.

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