Meanings
- idiomaticspeech actUsed to redirect attention to immediately preceding a failed attempt at humor.
But seriously, folks, on behalf of the Copacabana — and believe me, I'd love to be half of the Copacabana
2004, Gerald Nachman, Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s, page 232 more examples
A nightclub comic who gets off a bad joke, nobody laughs, but he goes right on with: "But, seriously, folks" […].
1969, Julius J. Epstein, But, Seriously ...: A Play in Two Acts, page 18"Take my life, … please," Colombo continued, a wry smile creasing his face. (Apparently he was a fan of Henny Youngman.) "Badaboom! But, seriously, folks, I learn long ago, during my life, that justice, she does not exist. […]."
2006, Bob Mitchell, Match Made in Heaven, page 199
Cite this entry
but seriously folks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/but%20seriously%20folks
“but seriously folks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/but%20seriously%20folks. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “but seriously folks,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/but%20seriously%20folks.
Source: but seriously folks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.