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] .

Example Sentences

The problem with portraying a negotiator as crazy like a fox is that sometimes the same behavior looks like the actions of someone who is crazy like a crazy person.

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Trump was either psychologically a kleptomaniac by taking the top-secret papers down to Mar-a-Lago or he's crazy like a fox.

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Crazy like a fox: In 1947 he grossed $72 million in car sales.

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Considering Trump's reaction to the indictments and his lashing out, is he crazy like a fox?

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Perhaps, but I couldn’t help but come away from Kliavkoff’s appearance Friday thinking that just maybe he’s crazy like a fox.

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Related Words

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