take the mickey

verb

To ridicule or mock someone; to make fun of someone.

“Are you takin’ the mickey? You’ll get yer ’ead bashed in.”

Similar
take the pissbefoolchaffdisparageforgabfrumpgleekjape
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Meanings

verbtake the mickey (third-person singular simple present takes the mickey, present participle taking the mickey, simple past took the mickey, past participle taken the mickey)

present singular third person takes the mickey · participle present taking the mickey · past took the mickey · participle past taken the mickey · alternative mickey-take · alternative take the Michael · alternative take the mick · alternative take the micky

  1. CommonwealthIrelandUKidiomaticintransitiveslangTo ridicule or mock someone; to make fun of someone.

    Are you takin’ the mickey? You’ll get yer ’ead bashed in.

    1 more example

    For the last eight years, taking the mickey out of George Bush has been great, victimless fun. Like taking candy from babies or shooting aquatically-challenged fish in size-challenged barrels.

    2008 November 15, Kenneth Nguyen, “Who's laughing now?”, in The Age newspaper

    Synonyms: take the piss, befool, chaff, disparage, forgab, frump, gleek, jape

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo ridicule or mock someone; to make fun of someone.

Similar
take the pissbefoolchaffdisparageforgabfrumpgleekjapejeerjibejoshkidlampoonmimicmockneedlenigglerazzribroast
Also see
extract the michaeltake the piss

Origin

Possibly from Cockney rhyming slang “to take the Mickey Bliss” (for take the piss).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

German sich lustig machen über, verarschen
  • sich lustig machen überto ridicule or mock
  • verarschento ridicule or mock
  • durch den Kakao ziehento ridicule or mock
Hungarian ugrat, húz
  • ugratto ridicule or mock
  • húzto ridicule or mock
  • szórakozikto ridicule or mock
Icelandic stríða, grínast
  • stríðato ridicule or mock
  • grínastto ridicule or mock
  • taka vindinn úrto ridicule or mock
Polish robić sobie jaja
  • robić sobie jajato ridicule or mock
Portuguese fazer pouco (de), gozar
  • fazer pouco (de)to ridicule or mock
  • gozarto ridicule or mock
  • zoarto ridicule or mock
Russian насмеха́ться, издева́ться
  • насмеха́ться (nasmexátʹsja)to ridicule or mock
  • издева́ться (izdevátʹsja)to ridicule or mock
  • дразни́ть (draznítʹ)to ridicule or mock
Spanish cachondearse, tomar el pelo
  • cachondearseto ridicule or mock
  • tomar el peloto ridicule or mock
Welsh herian
  • herianto ridicule or mock
Cite this entry
APA

take the mickey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20the%20mickey

MLA

“take the mickey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20the%20mickey. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “take the mickey,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/take%20the%20mickey.

Source: take the mickey on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.