Pulling one's leg

Definitions

tease or joke with someone
To play a light-hearted prank on someone, often by pretending something unbelievable or untrue
deceive or mislead
To intentionally mislead or deceive someone, often in a playful or harmless manner

Examples of Pulling one's leg

John kept making exaggerated claims about his weekend, and I suspected he was pulling my leg.

When someone makes false or exaggerated statements that they know cannot be true, we say they are "pulling our leg" as a way of expressing our suspicion that they are joking or teasing us.
My friend told me she had won the lottery, but I knew she was pulling my leg because she rarely buys a ticket.

This example shows how the idiom can be used to indicate that we are not convinced that what someone is saying is true, particularly when their claims seem implausible or inconsistent with what we know about them.
My husband loves to tell me crazy stories, but I always have to check if he's pulling my leg or if it's a true tale.

Here, we see how someone might use the idiom to indicate that they are not entirely sure whether a person is jesting or telling the truth, potentially highlighting the impracticability of distinguishing between the two in some contexts.
My friend's aunt claimed to have encountered a ghost, but we all suspected she was pulling our legs as she had a history of being self-dramatizing.

This example shows how the idiom can be used to indicate that someone's extraordinary claims may not be entirely genuine, particularly when they have a reputation for exaggeration or embellishment.
Sarah told John that she saw a snake in his backyard, but he soon realized she was pulling his leg when he looked outside and didn't see any reptiles.

"Pulling someone's leg" is an idiom that means telling someone an untrue story, usually as a joke or prank. In this example, Sarah's statement about the snake was not truthful and John understood this once he saw that there was no snake in his yard.
After hearing that the new sales manager had doubled last year's figures, Ian laughed and said, "Right, and I can also fly. Don't fall for his tall stories - he's pulling your leg."

"Pulling someone's leg" can also refer to exaggerating or lying in a way that is obvious to others. In this example, Ian implied that the new sales manager's claims were exaggerated or false, and that the listener should not believe everything they say.
In the middle of a long and boring lecture, John whispered to his friend, "Did you hear that the lecturer's been asleep for fifteen minutes? Don't worry, I won't pull your leg."

In this example, John made a false statement, implying that the lecturer had been sleeping during the lecture. However, he quickly clarified that his statement was not true in order to avoid misunderstanding or confusion.
As they sat together watching a movie, Liam looked over at Sarah and said, "Hey, that guy in the movie is a spy - I'm pulling your leg, though, I know it's just a story."

"Pulling someone's leg" can also refer to teasing or joking with someone, in this case by making a false accusation or statement. In this example, Liam pretended that someone in the movie was a spy, but quickly clarified that this was not a true statement in order to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.

Conclusion

The idiom "pulling one's leg" can be used to either tease or joke with someone by pretending something unbelievable, or to deceive or mislead in a playful manner. It is often used in a lighthearted and humorous context, and is not meant to cause harm or confusion.

Origin of "Pulling one's leg"

The origin of the idiom "pulling one's leg" is not entirely clear, but it is believed to have originated in the late 19th century. One theory suggests that it may have originated from the practice of literally pulling someone's leg as a way of tripping them or making them stumble, in a playful or teasing manner. Another theory suggests that it may have originated from the idea of "pulling someone's leg" as a way of testing their gullibility or willingness to believe something unbelievable. Regardless of its exact origin, the idiom has become a common phrase in the English language, used to indicate playful teasing or lighthearted deception.