play the fool

play the fool idiom
Act in a silly or stupid way, as in Helen deliberately played the fool so they wouldn't realize she understood their strategy. [First half of 1500s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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