expression, godan verb (-su)
pass off as a joke; laugh off; cover up with a joke
Used when someone tries to hide an embarrassing or serious remark/action by pretending it was a joke. Often implies a deliberate attempt to deflect. Rare term; more common alternatives include 冗談でごまかす or 冗談にしてしまう.
See also: 紛らす
He started to say what he really thought, then hurriedly passed it off as a joke.
失言を冗談に紛らそうとしたが、誰も笑わなかった。
He tried to laugh off his slip of the tongue as a joke, but nobody laughed.