crazy like a fox

1. Seemingly foolish but actually very shrewd and cunning. For example, You think Bob was crazy to turn it down? He's crazy like a fox, because they've now doubled their offer. This usage gained currency when humorist S.J. Perelman used it as the title of a book (1944). [Early 1900s] .

Related Words

• cagey 
• crooked 
• scheming 
• shifty 
• shrewd 
• sly 
• sneaky 
• underhanded