drily

«drily» in Mova's school dictionary: In a funny way that seems serious, with a straight face… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adverb

meaning for a pupil

1) In a funny way that seems serious, with a straight face (dry humour). tree →

2) In a dry way, without water or wetness (rare). tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories it is a speech adverb: someone says something drily when they make a quiet joke or a sarcastic remark; in British humour, dry wit is common; phrases: «said drily», «remarked drily».

examples

• «Oh, brilliant,» said Dad drily, as the rain came down on our picnic. tree →
• «Lovely weather for ducks,» Grandpa remarked drily. tree →
• She smiled drily at his excuse. tree →
• «I'm sure the homework ate itself,» the teacher said drily. tree →
• He answered drily, without a smile. tree →
• The comedian spoke drily, which made it even funnier. tree →
• ‘Top Off,’ said the Cat drily. tree →

note

Also spelled «dryly» (more common in US English). From dry. Dry humour means jokes told in a calm, serious voice.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «drily» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.