From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishplay/act the foolplay/act the foolSTUPID/NOT SENSIBLEto behave in a silly way, especially in order to make people laugh Stop playing the fool! You’ll fall. → fool
Examples from the Corpus
play/act the fool• Dominic and Lee had been playing the fool as only young men can.• Those on the path of mastery are willing to take chances, play the fool...• But the trouble with the picture is that it does absolutely nothing with its various prognostications except play the fool with them.• Narouz had been angry, first with the girl for playing the fool and then with the eunuch for not finding her.• Don't go acting the fool, Carl.• He acted the fool, losing at first to whet their appetites, but in an hour emptied his three victims' purses.• In class he never played the fool, never challenged the teacher.• Don't play the fool with me. You know why I moved away.• He likes me to play the fool. 