Refers to a playful or joking remark, often lighthearted and not meant to be taken seriously. The word is somewhat literary or old-fashioned; in casual speech, 冗談 (じょうだん) is more common.
He always makes jokes and makes everyone around him laugh.
That joke felt a bit old-fashioned.
Rare kanji spelling; the word is more commonly written in kana as おどけぐち.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen.
Compound of 戯け (おどけ, 'jesting, fooling around') + 口 (くち, 'mouth, speech'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is formed from native Japanese elements.