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I am a Yank. I have a friend who lives in the UK, in Sussex. She writes:

Mike and Rose are pretty good, but they tend to take the mickey out of my inadequacies.

Mike and Rose are her children, BTW, and she's talking about her perceived inadequacies dealing with computers.

What on earth does it mean to "take the mickey out of" something?

Cyberherbalist
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    Taking the Mickey (Mickey Bliss, Cockney rhyming slang) or taking the Michael is another term for making fun of someone. – FumbleFingers Jan 26 '16 at 16:55
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    I should point it's a phrase in its own right and people do not necessarily associate it with being cockney rhyming slang for a rude word. (I certainly didn't know it was rhyming slang until I saw @FumbleFingers's comment). Hence I wouldn't expect people to find it offensive in any way. – AndyT Jan 26 '16 at 17:05
  • That is the polite form of taking the piss. Yes, to make fun of. – Lambie Jan 26 '16 at 17:06
  • Oh, welcome back. Long time no see! – Mari-Lou A Jan 26 '16 at 17:53
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    Thank you, @Mari-LouA, it is kind of you to notice my absence! My wife passed away back in September, and I've pretty much been hibernating since then. Only just starting to crawl out from under my rock, not to mix any metaphors. So, I'm back among friends! – Cyberherbalist Jan 26 '16 at 18:02
  • Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. My deepest most heart-felt condolences. Well, it's nice to see you back :) – Mari-Lou A Jan 26 '16 at 18:03

1 Answers1

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Taking the Mickey

Tease or make fun of.

It's a slang phrase, used primarily for jovial mockery, it's often light hearted.

Source: Phrases.org.uk

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SuperBiasedMan
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