play the fool

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

play the fool (third-person singular simple present plays the fool, present participle playing the fool, simple past and past participle played the fool)

1. (idiomatic) To behave in a foolish or comical manner.
   • 1969, Paul McCartney (lyrics and music), “Maxwell's Silver Hammer”, in Abbey Road, performed by The Beatles:

     Back in school again Maxwell plays the fool again.
     Teacher gets annoyed

2. (idiomatic) To pretend or feign ignorance.

Translations

behave in a foolish manner

• Arabic: تَصَرَّفَ بِغَبَاء (taṣarrafa bi-ḡabāʔ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 出洋相 (zh) (chūyángxiàng), 胡鬧／胡闹 (zh) (húnào), 幹蠢事／干蠢事 (gàn chǔnshì)

• Esperanto: stultumi (eo)
• Finnish: pelleillä (fi), hölmöillä (fi)
• French: faire l’idiot (fr), faire l’imbécile (fr), faire l’andouille (fr)
• Friulian: fâ il basoâl
• Galician: facer o parvo
• German: den Narren spielen
• Greek:

  Ancient: μωραίνω (mōraínō)

• Italian: fare il buffone
• Jamaican Creole: form fool
• Japanese: ばかを見させる (ばかをみらせる, baka o miraseru)
• Korean: 광대 노릇을 하다 (gwangdae noreus-eul hada)
• Latin: ineptio
• Latvian: dzīt velnu, plēst velnu
• Russian: валя́ть дурака́ (ru) (valjátʹ duraká), дура́читься (ru) (duráčitʹsja)
• Spanish: hacer el canelo (es)
• Swedish: apa sig, spela pajas, löjla sig

pretend ignorance

• Catalan: fer l'andorrà (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 詐傻／诈傻 (zaa³ so⁴)

  Mandarin: 裝傻／装傻 (zh) (zhuāngshǎ), 裝傻充愣／装傻充愣 (zhuāngshǎchōnglèng)

• Finnish: teeskennellä tietämätöntä
• French: feindre l’ignorance, jouer au con (fr)
• Galician: facerse o parvo
• Italian: fare il finto tonto
• Jamaican Creole: form fool
• Japanese: とぼける (ja) (tobokeru)
• Russian: прики́дываться дурако́м (prikídyvatʹsja durakóm)
• Spanish: hacerse el sueco (es), hacerse el tonto (es)
• Swedish: spela dum