From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlarklark1 /lɑːk $ lɑːrk/ noun [countable] 1 HBBa small brown singing bird with long pointed wings SYN skylark2 informalFUNNY something that you do to amuse yourself or as a jokeas/for a lark I only went along for a lark.3 → blow/sod/bugger etc that for a lark4 British English spokenDO used to describe an activity that you think is silly or difficult Salad again? How long are you going to keep up this healthy eating lark?5 → be up with the lark
Examples from the Corpus
lark• Had it been a lark on the dead man's part?• The sky was still blue, the sun still shone, somewhere near by a lark gibbered away.• No shame, just a bit of a lark.• Then, on a lark, I applied to a college outside of Davis, California, so I just went down.• I had to go to Jersey and Guernsey on Wednesday-that's always rather a lark.• The trip to Dresden was a lark.• The operatic male nightingales, warblers, and larks are brown and usually almost indistinguishable from their females.• This surprisingly funny, reverse-Cyrano lark is witty, wise and the most romantic comedy so far this year.as/for a lark• Finally, as a lark, I start writing as if I were Victorine.• I really only went along to the interviews for a lark, as company for a friend.• They didn't come home just for a lark.• Under the influence of the drugs we exchanged a few playful cuddles and kisses, just for a lark.• But then you realise that there's no room whatsoever for larking about and enjoying yourself.larklark2 verb → lark about/around→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
lark• But then you realise that there's no room whatsoever for larking about and enjoying yourself.• Mr Grainger claims his 13-year-old son James was punched in the chest when he was caught larking about in lessons.• Stu would be laughing and larking about with his mates at the wallpaper shop.• They all go bicycling together and run across bridges and lark about, yes?• Only a couple of kids larking about.• She thought of the noise of the lodging houses with the chorus girls shrieking at each other and larking in the corridors.Origin lark 1. Old English lawerce2. (1800-1900) lark “to play around” ((19-21 centuries)), perhaps from lake “to play” ((11-20 centuries)) (from Old English lacan), or from → LARK2 