Trevor Noah's best Oscars joke was one you didn't catch, unless you speak Xhosa

Trevor Noah speaks onstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards. Photo / Getty

Leave it to Trevor Noah to have the last word - in Xhosa, no less.

When the famously multilingual comedian appeared on the Oscars stage Sunday night to introduce a clip for best picture nominee "Black Panther," he first fired off a few well-received jokes about the movie in English.

Then Noah segued to his supposed childhood.

"Growing up as a young boy in Wakanda, I would see King T'Challa flying over our village," Noah started.

Trevor Noah attends the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Photo / Getty

The crowd laughed, presumably in part to acknowledge that, yes, they knew Wakanda was a fictional place from the movie.

"And he would remind me of a great Xhosa phrase," Noah continued solemnly. "'Abelungu abazi ubu ndiyaxoka' - which means: 'In times like these, we are stronger when we fight together than when we try to fight apart.' "

There was little discernible response from the audience.

"This is best picture nominee 'Black Panther,' " Noah finished. A clip for the movie began playing. The audience clapped politely.

For some watching from afar, however, the reception was much different. That's because the Xhosa phrase Noah had used actually meant "White people don't know that I'm lying," according to the BBC.

The inside joke, which Noah delivered with only the hint of a smile, delighted Xhosa speakers around the world.

"I don't know how he managed to pull a straight face after all that," one Twitter user noted with a pair of laughing-crying emoji.

"I think @Trevornoah just pulled off one of the funniest stunts ever at the #Oscars," wrote another. "Only #xhosa speaking South Africans will know . . . well played! Hahahaha!!"

Noah's joke seemed to inspire a round of people tweeting their own impish falsehoods, using the hashtag #KodwaAbayaziNdiyaXoka.

"I take guys numbers all the time and tell them I'll call them #KodwaAbayaziNdiyaXoka," one Twitter user posted, attaching a picture of Rihanna looking coy.