The aim of this article is two-fold: (1) to consider problematic the unduly connected interpretations of English as lingua franca (ELF) interactions across all settings and people combinations, and show examples where this is not the case; (2) to explore the role of laughables and laughter in cases where interlocutors orient to and make noticeble an interdiscursive deviation among them (Scollon and Scollon, 2001). In the data presented here, a departure in social norms is in one extract made manifest as a point of difference among interlocutors, and in two other examples a possible deviation in social norms is handled as if it were the case but not validated. These instances are dealt with via laughables and laughter sequences. Sequential analysis of these naturally occurring audio-recorded conversations indicates that participants make salient and orient to what is in their experience deviant from their acquired norms and conduct assumption without systematically revealing affiliative interactional and relational work throughout the interactions. The fndings of this study have significant implications for the way in which ELF interactions can be understood and rendered going forward.