pull someone's leg

Meaning

Verb

• To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting. It usually implies teasing or goading by jokingly lying.
• To extract money from someone (by taking out a loan or by swindling).

Origin

• The phrase, from Scotland, originally meant to make a fool of someone, often by cheating them. One theory is that it derives from tripping someone by yanking or pulling their leg, in order to make them stumble and look foolish.