laughing stock

IPA/ˈlɑːfɪŋ stɒk/
IPA/ˈlæfɪŋ stɑːk/

laughing stock — noun

1. a person or thing that everyone makes fun of, usually after doing something fool

1.名詞C1
釋義

a person or thing that everyone makes fun of, usually after doing something foolish or failing badly in public.

例句

After Benjamin tripped on stage and dropped the trophy, he became the school's laughing stock.

become the [group]'s laughing stock

Valentina's wild excuses made her the laughing stock of the whole office.

同義詞
  • object of ridicule

    more formal; stresses being mocked rather than the failure that caused it

  • butt of the joke

    informal; the target of a single joke, often one-off rather than a lasting reputation

  • figure of fun

    British and milder; someone people find amusing, not necessarily after a public failure

文法句型

become a laughing stock

make somebody a laughing stock

the laughing stock of [group]

用法筆記

Almost always singular and used with 'a' or 'the'. The person or thing being mocked is the subject, and the mocking group follows with 'of' (the laughing stock of the village).

常見錯誤

He became a laughing stocks after the mistake.
He became a laughing stock after the mistake.
💡the phrase stays singular even when more than one person mocks you.
They were the laugh stock of the team.
They were the laughing stock of the team.
💡it is 'laughing stock', not 'laugh stock'.