fool1
• noun 1 a person who acts unwisely. 2 historical a jester or clown. • verb 1 trick or deceive. 2 (fool about/around) act in a joking or frivolous way. 3 (fool around) N. Amer. engage in casual or extramarital sexual activity. • adjective N. Amer. informal foolish or silly. — PHRASES a fool and his money are soon parted proverb a foolish person spends money carelessly and will soon be penniless. fools rush in where angels fear to tread proverb people without good sense or judgement will have no hesitation in tackling a situation that even the wisest would avoid. there’s no fool like an old fool proverb the foolish behaviour of an older person seems especially foolish as they are expected to think and act more sensibly than a younger one. — DERIVATIVES foolery noun. — ORIGIN Old French fol ‘fool, foolish’, from Latin follis ‘bellows, windbag’, by extension ‘empty-headed person’.
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