gallows humour

(British & Australian) also gallows humor (American & Australian)

humour that makes unpleasant things, such as death, seem funny

Usage notes: The gallows are a wooden frame used in the past for killing criminals by hanging them from a rope tied around their neck.

Many of the patients I worked with knew they were dying. There was a lot of gallows humour.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Ruff	[rʌf]
Charmian	CHAHR-mee-ən, SHAHR-mee-ən	English (Rare)
Caprina	-	Various
Fitzgerald	[fits'dʒerəld]
Prabhakara	-	Hinduism
Deonne	-	English (Rare)