Jest
A remark or act intended to provoke laughter, often with licence to say what plain speech could not.
A jest is a joke considered as a social act. The word descends from Latin gesta, "deeds" — medieval gestes were narrative exploits, and as those tales grew comic the term slid toward humour. Jest-books, collections of short comic tales and retorts, were among the most popular printed works of the sixteenth century.
Its defining feature is licence. A jest is framed as not-serious, and that frame historically allowed the speaker to voice criticism that direct speech would have punished — the licensed fool's privilege.
The phrase "many a true word is spoken in jest", recorded in English from Chaucer's era onward, names exactly this function: the joke as a delivery vehicle for an unwelcome truth.
Common mistake: claiming the jest frame after the fact. "I was only jesting" retroactively applied to a remark that landed badly is a defence, not a form; the licence works only when the frame is set in advance.
“Many a true word is spoken in jest.”
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A flippant, knowing remark that scores a point through cheek rather than through wit's higher polish.
A brief, witty remark — sharper than an observation, lighter than an argument.
A clever, often spontaneous remark that delivers humour through verbal ingenuity.
Light, playful, good-humoured talk exchanged for pleasure rather than for points.