Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
I'm not being funny en · X
Pronunciation
Meanings
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(UK, idiomatic) Used as a softening preface to a statement that might be taken as offensive or malicious.
Clara: Well, I'm not being funny, but those clothes aren't really suitable for having meetings with clients.
John: Really?
Clara: I think so – a shirt and tie, or suit and shirt would be better.
2009, Gavin Dudeney, Nicky Hockly, Learning English as a Foreign Language For Dummies, page 296:You know, I'm not being funny, but, you know, when he's with all his cool new 'creative' mates. They ain't real, Tony. They ain't like us. They sit around, with ironic trousers on and three haircuts each, waiting to be discovered.
2013, Kate Tempest, Wasted, page 13:I'm not being funny, but you make me nervous.
2011, Martin Stanley, The Gamblers, page 280: