He will find that these are no jesting matters.
--Macaulay.
2. To make merriment by words or actions; to joke; to make
light of anything.
He jests at scars that never felt a wound. --Shak.
Usage: To {Jest}, {Joke}. One jests in order to make others
laugh; one jokes to please himself. A jest is usually
at the expense of another, and is often ill-natured; a
joke is a sportive sally designed to promote good
humor without wounding the feelings of its object.
``Jests are, therefore, seldom harmless; jokes
frequently allowable. The most serious subject may be
degraded by being turned into a jest.'' --Crabb.