'It's to laugh at!'

[Agnes]

Is it correct to say 'it's to laugh at!' when you think something is ridiculous or funny?

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Agnes

Is it correct to say 'it's to laugh at!' when you think something is ridiculous or funny?

No. In the opposite case, you might say 'it's nothing to laugh at'.

b

[BobK]

PS -

'It's to <verb>', as a description, is not very common. We usually put an object in there: 'It's nothing to laugh at', 'It's something to think about'... A recent exception has been creeping into the informal language over the last few years: I think it started life as a translation (incomplete, at that) of the French à en mourrir:


Have you seen that dress at H&M - it's to die for.


But this is by no means standard; you'd see it in Cosmopolitan (a trendy magazine) but not in Time magazine.

b

[Ouisch]

"It's to laugh at" is not standard English usage. I have heard Yiddish speakers use similar phraseology, however:

"You call this a bar mitzvah? It's to laugh at!"
"The food is dry, the band stinks, it's too hot in here...don't get me started!"
"Did you try the kreplah, though? It's to die for!"

[BobK]

Originally Posted by Ouisch

"It's to laugh at" is not standard English usage. I have heard Yiddish speakers use similar phraseology, however:
"You call this a bar mitzvah? It's to laugh at!"
"The food is dry, the band stinks, it's too hot in here...don't get me started!"
"Did you try the kreplah, though? It's to die for!"

That sounds more probable than my 'French' idea; Yiddish.

b