It is tempting to think that he is joking, and that his theoretical elaborations about the true significance of communist-era jokes are a subtle parody of the way that modern literary critics so often miss the point of the texts they write about.

ECONOMIST: Communist jokes

At the Supreme Court, the only half-joking saying is it's Justice Kennedy's America and the rest of us are just living in it.

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He is joking, but it is hard to tell.

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If Mr Lewis is indeed joking, he pushes it too far.

ECONOMIST: Communist jokes

Which is why drinking beer and then joking about it at a company meeting to build camaraderie with his employees makes perfect sense.

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He noted that 2028 is "just around the corner, " joking that it would be enough time for three more Rolling Stones farewell concerts.

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I've been joking lately that my room is exactly the same as it was -- my mother still has the house -- same bed sheets, same pictures on the wall, flowered pictures I bought when I was 16.

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