Spanish Expression of the Day: tomar el pelo

Chain-watching Spanish shows (like me, man I’m addicted!) you hear lots of slang and expressions. Because I only watch shows from Spain I also hear expressions specific for Spain. One of those expressions is tomar el pelo.

If we break down the sentence it literally says ‘take the hair’. Of course, this means nothing and looks rather weird, so what does it mean? It simply means ‘to pull one’s leg’, ‘to make fun of someone’, ‘to mess with someone’ or ‘to take the mickey out’. It’s no vulgar expression, but it is quite colloquial.

Sentences

¡No me tomes el pelo!
Don’t mess with me!

No tomes el pelo a tu profesor.
Don’t make fun of your teacher.

¡Te ha tomado el pelo!
He pulled your leg!