“Fielder, acutely aware of his daughter's chaffing tone, and riveted by her stare, quickly averts his eyes away from the twins, and concentrates on his dinner.”

Adjective

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Contemptuously ridiculing or mocking someone or something

scoffing

libellous^UK

libelous^US

sceptical^UK

skeptical^US

ill-humored^US

like a bear with a sore head

sulphurous^UK

sulfurous^US

minimising^UK

dishonoring^US

minimizing^US

unfavorable^US

calling a spade a spade

more ❯

Adjective

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Having a merry or cheerful nature or atmosphere

full of the joys of spring

full of vim and vigour

lots of laughs

without a care in the world

as lively as a grig

as merry as a grig

bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

beside oneself with joy

as happy as a sandboy

like a dog with two tails

like a child with a new toy

flakey^US

flaky^UK

colorful^US

colourful^UK

full of get-up-and-go

energized^US

energised^UK

full of joie de vivre

full of vim and vigor

full of the joy of living

dexterous^US

dextrous^UK

honourable^UK

honorable^US

footloose and fancy-free

free as the wind

free as a bird

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Noun

▲

Mockery or taunts, or the act of mocking or taunting

pulling someone's chain

good-humoured mockery

backhanded compliment

humor^US

rejoinder

humour^UK

answer

pleasant conversation

rancor^US

rancour^UK

libeling^US

libelling^UK

character assassination

pretense^US

pretence^UK

caviling^US

cavilling^UK

more ❯

Noun

▲

The humorous or amusing aspects of something

humour^UK

humor^US

gambolling^UK

gamboling^US

vigor^US

vigour^UK

good humour^UK

good humor^US

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Verb

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Present participle for to tease someone in a jocular manner

taking the piss out of

pulling one's leg

making a monkey out of

satirizing^US

satirising^UK

pulling someone's leg

fooling around

hazing

treating with contempt

bedeviling^US

bedevilling^UK

holding up to ridicule

pulling someone's chain

treating contemptuously

playing a practical joke on

louting

holding up to shame

messing about

getting a rise out of

playing a practical joke

gambolling^UK

gamboling^US

having a joke on somebody

criticising^UK

criticizing^US

getting in the hair of

getting on the nerves of

victimizing^US

mucking someone about

mucking around

making a laughing-stock

making someone a laughing stock

laughing out of court

victimising^UK

playing cat and mouse

giving someone grief

putting through wringer

driving bananas

rubbing salt in wound

rubbing up the wrong way

getting on your nerves

terrorizing^US

terrorising^UK

getting under your skin

breathing down someone's neck

grilling

giving someone the hump

getting your goat

antagonising^UK

making it hot for someone

making things hot for someone

harping on at

grumbling at

bending someone's ear

rubbing the wrong way

stirring up

putting your back up

making your blood boil

getting on one's nerves

driving to distraction

tyrannizing^US

sticking the knife into

getting the knife into

tyrannising^UK

driving round the bend

discommoding

discriminating against

driving round the twist

hitting where one lives

getting across someone

searching high heaven

boiling

making sore

rattling someone's cage

getting your dander up

teeing off

ruffling one's feathers

losing one's temper

giving someone the pip

egging on

getting someone

making someone see red

getting up someone's nose

making somebody's hackles rise

running up the wrong way

keeping complaining to

busting someone's balls

taking it out on

moaning at

egging

more ❯

“They then proceed to sit around him and to chaff him about his female relatives by singing songs of a facetious nature.”

Verb

▲

Present participle for to tell a joke or talk in a playful manner

more ❯

“I remember feeling rather important at being thus sent for on what seemed a serious occasion, too serious apparently for the boys to chaff about it.”