Simultaneously jocular and serious; mixing mirth with serious matters.
1673, Raillerie a la Mode Consider'd, Or, The Supercilious Detractor: A Joco-serious Discourse, Shewing the Open Impertinence and Degenerosity of Publishing Private Pecques and Controversies to the World : Occasionally Written to a Young Gentleman, to Shew the Odium of this Ingentile Humour, and to …Google Books
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1723, Thomas Symmes, Utile Dulci. Or, A Joco-serious Dialogue, Concerning Regular Singing
Friendship that wantonly admits / A joco-serious play of wits / In brilliant altercation, / Is union such as indicates, / Like hand-in-hand insurance plates, / Danger of conflagration.
Our proposed removal to Mr. Small's was, as you suppose, a jest, or rather a joco-serious matter. We never looked upon it as entirely feasible, yet we saw in it something so like practicability, that we did not esteem it altogether unworthy of our attention. It was one of those projects which people of lively imaginations play with, and admire for a few days, and then break in pieces.
1885, L.G.W., “Review of Current Literature”, in The Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine, Volume XXIII, Google Books
“His genius was jocular; but, when disposed, he could be very serious.” It is a part of his joco-serious vein of late.
Was the guest conscious of and did he acknowledge these marks of hospitality? His attention was directed to them by his host jocosely, and he accepted them seriously as they drank in jocoserious silence Epps's massproduct, the creature cocoa.