act a fool

phrase

Etymology

Formed from the verb act + the adjective a + the noun fool. See OED act, v., OED a, adj., OED fool, n.1. Compare OED act the fool, P3 a, in fool, n.1.

Meaning & use

Also act-a-fool, act up a fool

  1. 1904–To behave in a manner that seems ignorant and lacks common sense, intelligence, or good judgment, and which may have negative consequences and be to the detriment and embarrassment of the subject and those around them.

    technical Variant is relatively rare, recent and may stem from hypercorrection or emphasis as a marker of completion.

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    1904
    Two thousand Negroes in New York come out and act a fool, and 22 million of us get the blame for it.
    W. S. Maugham Merry-go-round 273
    1906
    He want me to act up a fool on Beyoncé internet with that pic!
    U. Sinclair The Jungle xxx. 390
    1912
    The white race only gets down to see him, when he is advertised to act a fool.
    W. Owen Letter 23 June 1967 142
    1912
    Y'all gon'make me go all out...y'all gon' make me act a fool up in here.
    ‘M. Field’ Poems of Adoration 89
    1913
    Some of them are laying aside 50 cents to pay the clown to act a fool, and at the same time their grocery bills are unpaid.
    H. Kephart Our Southern Highlanders xiii. 294
    1920
    It is not a time for the Negro to make a spectacle of himself; it is not time for him to act a fool.
    E. Wharton The Age of Innocence ii. xxvii. 273
    1932
    Upon asking some friends, if they did not think it advisable for us to occasionally act the fool to insure success to our little waif, to which one said, "well, if you wish to act a fool, be perfectly natural."
    J. G. Neihardt Black Elk Speaks ii. 9
    1935
    It'll pay you all big dividends if you both do not get mad and act a fool at the same time.
    Evening Sun Baltimore 7 March 25/3
    1952
    I'm kinda scared and my only defense mechanism is to act a fool.
    G. H. Dury Map Interpretation iv. 36
    1962
    When one reaches years of sober reflectiveness he thinks of the silly notes he has written to one whose delight it was to see him act a fool.
    A. Moorehead Blue Nile 134
    1970
    You will be cured of this nervousness that makes you act a fool when you should act wise.
    D. Brown Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee v. 110
    1972
    Y'all better than I am cause I would've acted up a fool on camera in 4K. They'd be concerned
    G. Bell Villains Galore iii. 31
    1979
    There was no law that made those Negroes clown and act a fool just to get their pictures in the paper to disgrace their race.
    C. P. Snow Coat of Varnish ii. xii. 108
    1991
    She wanna act out and carry on, and act a-fool.
    T. Mo Redundancy of Courage 1992 xiv. 149
    1991
    Oh, if my nigga Obama gets up in there, I'm gon' act a fool!
    A. Unterman Dictionary of Jewish Lore & Legend 87/1
    1996
    There is nothing sexy about a woman that feels the need to act up a fool in public no matter what her race...I am laid back dude, you not about to embarrassed [sic] by me by acting a fool.
    A. Theroux Secondary Colors 79
    1998
    Babies are supposed to cry and act a fool...an adult isn't supposed to be threatened by that
    R. Newman Manners 226

See also