What it means
A lark is a bit of daft, harmless fun, the kind of plan that starts with why not and ends with someone soaked, stranded, or crying with laughter. You can say it was a lark for a scrappy little adventure, and lark about means messing around instead of behaving properly. It's playful, cheeky, and usually not that serious unless someone takes it too far.
Usage examples
"Took the kayaks out on a lark, tipped in three times, binned a shoe, then marched into the chippy dripping like absolute legends."
"We went midnight swimming on a whim, just for a lark, and talked about it for years after."
"It started as a lark, dressing up for the quiz, and somehow we won the whole thing."
"We only popped out for one pint and it turned into a full-on lark, missed the last train and ended up eating chips on the kerb at two in the morning."
"Thought it'd be a harmless lark to cut through the farmer's field, then the bull clocked us and suddenly nobody was feeling quite so poetic about it."
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Where it comes from
This is proper old British usage. Lark has meant a frolic or playful adventure since the early 19th century, and it's been part of UK English ever since. It didn't pop up as fresh youth slang at all. It's one of those sturdy old words that still works when a silly plan goes gloriously sideways.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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