I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a sense of humour British English , a sense of humor American English (= the ability to laugh and enjoy things that are funny )
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A good teacher needs a sense of humour.
black humour
gallows humour
good humour
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At 80 her eyes still sparkled with good humour.
have a warped sense of humour (= think strange and unpleasant things are funny )
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You really have a warped sense of humour .
unfailing good humour
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She battled against cancer with unfailing good humour .
wicked sense of humour
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Tara hasn’t lost her wicked sense of humour .
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
black
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There were moments of black humour as well regarding the safety of deaf people in wartime conditions.
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Michela Wrong tells her story with the bitter black humour of those who survived the Mobutu years.
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An exercise in black humour set in an enclosed and hopeless world, the film ends with him remaining behind bars.
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It is one of his most heartfelt works combining all the pungency, political commitment and black humour of his best plays.
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That was the true black humour of colleagues I thought were my mates.
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Either way, it was an occasion for black humour , or at least sick jokes.
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Even the problems have unexpected black humour , such as the last-breath-of-a-dying man problem.
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I have got a seriously black sense of humour .
dry
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His letters confirm a highly inquisitive mind regarding natural and scientific phenomena and suggest a phlegmatic temperament and a dry humour .
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Billican Geary had a dry humour and would often tell his yarns.
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There is even a dry humour .
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Aubrey had much the same rather dry sense of humour .
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The old man, facing his death with such courage and dry humour , deserved respect.
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He seemed to gain pleasure from the comradeship of Art teachers; their banter and dry North country humour .
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He is quite witty and his dry humour comes across well.
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John is sparse of frame and comment but had a very dry humour .
good
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Warm-up man Daley Pike works the enthusiastic crowd, carefully testing the good humour of various individuals.
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They were in high good humour .
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His sister invariably had the power to restore him to good humour .
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With her ready compassion and cheerful good humour , she had provided much that was lacking in Celia's circumscribed upbringing.
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The party, in good humour , applauded.
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Despite the stress, Spens remained in good humour .
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The foreman in a fine good humour .
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Falconer was quiet and secretive but seemed in very good humour , laughing and talking rather garrulously.
great
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He had a great sense of humour and when we first met, I was instantly attracted to him.
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He is immensely strong, but also shyly gentle and has great sense of humour .
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She gets me food and she's a marvellous person, with a great sense of humour .
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To understand life today, you have to have a great sense of humour .
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She also has a great sense of humour .
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He has a great sense of humour and will keep you all well-amused.
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The children were wonderfully responsive, with a great sense of humour and they derived enormous excitement from the games and competitions.
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Squeaking and even gasping with the great good humour of it all.
wry
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The deep voice was taunting, but there was a wry humour hidden somewhere beneath the laconic façade.
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And he retains the sense of wry humour which he reckons every newspaperman needs, if only to keep him sane.
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His brilliance was carried lightly, and he possessed a wry sense of humour .
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She relaxed and told Jay about her life, with the wry humour of a survivor.
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However, wry humour was not a quality I detected in the lady.
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Yet they are saved from sentimentality by the wry humour of both text and pictures.
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A good thing they'd be in Winchester tonight ... Wry humour put a slight quirk in his mouth.
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He has a wry sense of humour and an uncompromising disposition, particularly when it comes to talking about deeds of valour.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a vein of humour/malice etc
brand of humour/politics/religion etc
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Bush was elected on the coat-tails of Ronald Reagan, who in turn worshipped Margaret Thatcher's brand of politics and economics.
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I was by no means immune from this brand of humour.
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Presenter, Jim Bowen, puts the contestants at ease with his own brand of humour.
mordant wit/satire/humour
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He showed his willingness to trade his mordant wit for the required political cliches.
schoolboy humour
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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Everyone laughed except Dad, who obviously didn't appreciate the humour of the situation.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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But in London it brought belly laughs with a bawdy display of music hall humour and saucy songs.
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Do the best you can, hope for the best with the unpredictable and try to keep a sense of humour .
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He is immensely strong, but also shyly gentle and has great sense of humour .
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His flashes of light-hearted humour were commonly tinged with an awesome critical irony.
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In character he was kindly, genial, and modest, with an abundant sense of humour .
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The two types of humour perform opposing functions, pull in opposite directions.
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There was not a jot of humour in the man.
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This is the humour that does not heal, the sort that encourages hatred of outsiders.
II. verb
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Children go through defined periods of oppositional behaviour and may need humouring out of them.
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I humoured the old lady, who soon went on her way.
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I want the police to look for her, not humour me.
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Shana was forced to resort to humouring me rather than getting into arguments with me.
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She wasn't even going to humour Mrs Fanshawe any more.