The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word LEG-PULL
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
L
E
G
-
P
U
L
L
More clues leading to the result LEG-PULL
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "joke" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case joke = leg-pull.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does LEG-PULL mean?
LEG-PULL noun- A joke, fib or tease.