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Synonyms

crazy like a fox

Idioms  

  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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Seattle Times

So is Bradford crazy or just crazy like a fox?

From Los Angeles Times

Or, as now seems truer than ever, is he crazy like a fox?

From Washington Post

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.