play the fool

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

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)

(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
(idiomatic) To pretend or feign ignorance.

Translations

behave in a foolish manner

Arabic: تَصَرَّفَ بِ غَبَاء (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 노릇 을 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

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