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Idioms about fool

    be nobody's fool, to be wise or shrewd.

Origin of fool

1
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English fol, fool, from Old French fol, from Latin follis “bellows, bag”; cf. follis

OTHER WORDS FROM fool

un·fooled, adjectiveun·fool·ing, adjectivewell-fooled, adjective

Other definitions for fool (2 of 2)

fool2
[ fool ]
/ ful /

noun British Cooking.
a dish made of fruit, scalded or stewed, crushed and mixed with cream or the like: gooseberry fool.

Origin of fool

2
First recorded in 1590–1600; probably special use of fool1;cf. trifle (in the sense “a dessert consisting of custard and cake”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fool in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fool (1 of 2)

fool1
/ (fuːl) /

noun
verb
adjective
informal short for foolish

Word Origin for fool

C13: from Old French fol mad person, from Late Latin follis empty-headed fellow, from Latin: bellows; related to Latin flāre to blow

British Dictionary definitions for fool (2 of 2)

fool2
/ (fuːl) /

noun
mainly British a dessert made from a purée of fruit with cream or custardgooseberry fool

Word Origin for fool

C16: perhaps from fool 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with fool

fool

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