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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.

So is Bradford crazy or just crazy like a fox?

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2023

Is it crazy, or crazy like a fox?

From Slate • Aug. 4, 2022

I agree with Stephens that Putin’s crazy like a fox.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 5, 2022

“This is a unique set of circumstances and the president welcomes it. I think he’s crazy like a fox on this,” Goodwin told “Fox & Friends” on Monday.

From Fox News • Nov. 25, 2019

Like is a preposition, said the accusers, and may take only a noun phrase object, as in crazy like a fox or like a bat out of hell.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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.