plays dumb
Pretends not knowing
To play dumb is to pretend ignorance or confusion, usually to avoid responsibility or gain some advantage.
Someone who plays dumb acts as if they don't know something they actually know, or don't understand something they actually understand.
When the boss asked who broke the copier, everyone played dumb.
The phrase suggests deliberate deception rather than genuine confusion, and often carries a note of strategic self-protection or manipulation.
- pretendingSimulating what isn't real
- interrogationFormal, probing examination
- lyingStating known falsehoods
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- plausible deniabilityArranged protection from accountability
denial · willful ignorance · manipulation · appeasement · passive resistance · evasion · deflection · concealment · bluffing · stonewalling · obtuse · avoidance · misdirection · stalling · negotiations · self-preservation · legal proceedings · self-handicapping
plays dumbcomes clean
Admits wrongdoing openly
spills the beans · tells all · discloses · owns up · opens up
plays dumbshows true colors
plays dumbshows off
Flaunts for attention
grandstands · flexes · pontificates · holds forth · mansplains
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