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acting dumb

[ˈæktɪŋ dʌm]
verb phrase
fingir ser burro / fazer-se de tolo
1. Pretending to be stupid or ignorant; feigning lack of intelligence or knowledge
He's acting dumb to avoid responsibility for the mistake.
Ele está fingindo ser burro para evitar responsabilidade pelo erro.
2. Deliberately not understanding something or pretending confusion
Don't act dumb—you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Não finja ignorância—você sabe exatamente do que estou falando.
NYC Slang
playin' dumb / frontin' clueless
Synonyms
playing dumbfeigning ignorancepretending not to understandplaying stupidfaking innocence
Antonyms
being honestbeing straightforwardbeing truthfulbeing genuine

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
fingir de burro / fazer-se de tolo
Most common usage in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
fazer-se de inocente
Alternative expression emphasizing feigned innocence
Portugal
fazer-se de parvo / fingir ignorância
Portuguese variant using 'parvo' (fool)

Related Idioms & Phrases

playing dumb and dumber
don't play dumb with me
act stupid
play the fool
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