In a formal academic writing (in the everyday sense), is it appropriate to use phrases such as "step out on" to titillate the reader?

Since I am not a native English speaker, and since I have not yet accurately catched the general range of humor in the US, I wonder if such phrases would be instead considered as a disrespect?

In a formal academic writing (in the everyday sense), is it appropriate to use phrases such as "step out on" to titillate the reader?

Since I am not a native English speaker, and since I have not yet accurately catched the general range of humor in the US, I wonder if using such phrases would be instead considered as a disrespect?