play dumb

Meaning: To pretend not to know or understand something.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Example: “When the teacher asked about the broken window, he played dumb.”

Category: Daily Life

Origin: "Dumb" in its American sense of stupid. The phrase is common from the 20th century.

Other ways to say this

English: To turn a blind eye — literally: To look with the eye that cannot see
Greek: Κάνω την πάπια — literally: To play the duck
Italian: Fare orecchie da mercante — literally: To make merchant's ears
Dutch: in de wind slaan — literally: to strike in the wind
English: turn a deaf ear

make short work of something — To deal with or finish something quickly.
you've made your bed, now lie in it — You must accept the consequences of your own choices.
an uphill battle — A long, difficult struggle.
Pédaler dans la semoule — To be confused and getting nowhere.
Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter — To have more important things to do.
Avoir le cul entre deux chaises — To be indecisive, caught between two options.

all hell breaks loose — Chaos and disorder suddenly erupt.
be put out to pasture — To be retired or set aside as no longer useful.
The last straw that broke the camel's back — The final small burden that causes a total collapse.
To have a frog in your throat — To have difficulty speaking due to hoarseness.
It's raining cats and dogs — It's raining extremely heavily.
To have butterflies in your stomach — To feel nervous excitement.

Mångata — The shimmering, road-like reflection the moon casts across water.
Toska — A dull ache of the soul; a great longing with nothing in particular to long for.
Dépaysement — The disorienting yet often pleasant feeling of being far from home, immersed in the unfam…