play dumb

play dumb
a) To pretend to be mute.

I played dumb cause I knew if I talked at all, being simple and guileless, you all would twist me up and have the whole thing in a jiffy.

b) To pretend to be slow-witted or lacking in specific knowledge, usually in order to avoid responsibility or to gain some advantage.

Died. Virginia Hill, 49, redheaded, free-spending playmate of the underworld . . . who later acted out a cameo role before the late Senator Estes Kefauvers Senate crime committee, playing dumb about the business dealings of her many racketeer friends.


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  • play dumb — play/​act dumb phrase to pretend to not know or not understand something Don’t play dumb with me – I know you took the money. Thesaurus: to pretend something is not happening or is not the casesynonym Main entry: dumb …   Useful english dictionary

  • play dumb — act as if you do not know, play along    Play dumb when she tells you I won. Pretend you don t know …   English idioms

  • play dumb — Synonyms and related words: be mute, be silent, bosom, classify, conceal, file and forget, forswear speech, hold out on, in petto, keep, keep back, keep between us, keep buttoned up, keep close, keep dark, keep from, keep in ignorance, keep mum,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • play — [plā] vi. [ME plein < OE plegan, to play, be active] 1. to move lightly, rapidly, or erratically; flutter [sunlight playing on the waves] 2. to amuse oneself, as by taking part in a game or sport; engage in recreation 3. to take active part in …   English World dictionary

  • dumb — I UK [dʌm] / US adjective Word forms dumb : adjective dumb comparative dumber superlative dumbest 1) informal stupid She s so dumb she can t even figure out her answering machine. You gave him your phone number? That was a dumb thing to do. 2) a) …   English dictionary

  • dumb — dumb1 [ dʌm ] adjective * 1. ) INFORMAL stupid: She s so dumb she can t even figure out her answering machine. You gave him your phone number? That was a dumb thing to do. a ) play/act dumb to pretend to not know or understand something: Don t… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • dumb — adj. (colloq.) (esp. AE) stupid 1) to play dumb 2) dumb to + inf. (it was dumb of you to say that) * * * [dʌm] (colloq.) (esp. AE) [ stupid ] to play dumb dumb to + inf. (it was dumb of you to say that) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • play — play1 W1S1 [pleı] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(children)¦ 2¦(sports/games)¦ 3¦(music)¦ 4¦(radio/cd etc)¦ 5¦(theatre/film)¦ 6 play a part/role 7 play ball 8¦(pretend)¦ 9¦(behave)¦ 10 play games …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • play — 1 /pleI/ verb 1 CHILDREN (I, T) when children play, they do things that they enjoy, often together or with toys: The children ran off to play on the beach. | play sth: The boys were playing soldiers. | I don t want to play that game! (+ with):… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • play */*/*/ — I UK [pleɪ] / US verb Word forms play : present tense I/you/we/they play he/she/it plays present participle playing past tense played past participle played 1) [intransitive/transitive] to take part in a sport or game The children were playing… …   English dictionary

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