IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishplay dumb
Meaning: To pretend not to know or understand something.
Example: “When the teacher asked about the broken window, he played dumb.”
Origin: "Dumb" in its American sense of stupid. The phrase is common from the 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
Greek: Κάνω την πάπια Literally: To play the duck
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- saw off the branch one is sitting on To harm one's own position or interests.
- pull a long face To look sad, sulky or disappointed.
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