you have to be kidding
Meaning(s)
1. playful or teasing
Popularity
Medium
Professional
Medium
Social
How to Memorize
are you kidding?
Analysis
The noun 'kidding' refers to something that is a playful or teasing action. As an adjective, it describes something playful, joking or deceptive. If you say you are 'just kidding' it means you are not being serious, you are joking. If you say 'you have got to be kidding' or 'are you kidding?', you are asking if someone is joking or being serious. This is an informal expression suited to social contexts.
Social Examples (Basic)
- I just won the lottery? You've got to be kidding me!
- You want to quit your job and move to China? Are you kidding?
- I got a fright when she told me she was quitting university, but it turns out that she was kidding me.
- He looked at her in a way that let her know he was kidding.
- It feels at times as if our global leaders and politicians are just kidding in their roles running the country