tomar el pelo
verbCEFR B2
What does “tomar el pelo” mean in English?
to pull someone's leg, to wind up
to pull someone's leg, to wind up (informal teasing or mockery; ¿me estás tomando el pelo?)
Example sentences
¿Me estás tomando el pelo? No puede ser que hayas terminado el informe en una hora.
Are you pulling my leg? There's no way you finished the report in an hour.
Al principio pensé que me tomaba el pelo, pero resultó que hablaba en serio.
At first I thought he was winding me up, but it turned out he was serious.
No os estoy tomando el pelo: la empresa ha decidido dar el día libre a todos los empleados.
I'm not pulling your leg: the company has decided to give everyone the day off.
How to use it
Tomar el pelo (literally 'to pull someone's hair') means 'to pull someone's leg', 'to wind someone up', or 'to take the mickey'. It is informal and usually friendly or teasing in tone, though it can express genuine disbelief. The fixed form is tomar + el pelo + a alguien: 'le está tomando el pelo' (he's winding him up). Don't confuse with burlarse de (to mock, often more cutting) or mentir (to lie, which lacks the playful frame). It cannot be used reflexively.
Common mistake
English speakers often try *robar el pelo or *tirar del pelo — both wrong. The fixed collocation is tomar + el pelo, no substitutions. Don't use it with hay que or the infinitive in an impersonal frame: *hay que tomar el pelo is not idiomatic. The phrase only works when there's a clear agent (yo, tú, él) taking the mickey out of someone.