Is there an idiom or typical expression for an unfunny joke? [closed]

Solution 1:

The phrase lame joke is broadly used to describe

(idiomatic) An attempt at humor which is perceived to have been used previously to the point of being cliche, or was never funny to begin with.

You could use "His joke was lame", "His joke was not even funny" or "His joke was corny."

[Wiktionary, Merriam-Webster Learner's Dicitionary]

Solution 2:

A common expression for this is to fall flat (from the "idioms" section of thefreedictionary.com):

fall flat

1. if an entertainment or a joke falls flat, people do not enjoy it and do not think it is funny Several attempts at humour during his speech fell flat.
2. if an attempt to influence people's behaviour or opinions falls flat, it fails The advertising campaign which had worked so well in the US fell flat in China. The statement that pregnancy is not an illness falls flat with many morning sickness sufferers.

The first meaning is the one you're after, so you could say:

I told a joke but it fell flat.

Solution 3:

In American English, we would usually say "his joke flopped," or that "his joke was a flop." The noun "flop" is sometimes used informally to mean "a complete failure."

A phrase similar to your Japanese idiom about the air freezing would be "(his joke was so bad), you could hear the crickets chirping." This is referring to the silence that follows a bad joke, as opposed to the loud laughter that would follow a successful one.