student asking question

What does "joke's on someone" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"[The] joke's on you" is an informal expression used to describe when someone tries to play a trick or take advantage of another person and ends up being the victim instead. It essentially expresses that one's actions have backfired on them. In this video, the speaker intentionally not invited to the party. However, he says "joke's on you" to show that these actions have backfired, as he still managed to attend and even ate the food that was prepared. Ex: Alex tried to copy from me during the exam but the joke's on him! He got caught by the teacher. Ex: Joke's on you! You tried to trip me but you fell instead.

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