play dumb

faire l’ignorant, faire l’idiot

Faire semblant de ne pas savoir ou comprendre quelque chose, souvent pour éviter des ennuis.

En anglais simple : To pretend you do not know or understand something, often to avoid trouble.

• Do not play dumb with me.
• She played dumb when I asked about the broken window.
• He tried to play dumb, but we knew he had read the message.

Comment l'utiliser : play dumb about something (He played dumb about the missing money.)

Synonymes : feign ignorance, pretend not to know

Expressions courantes : play dumb about something, play dumb again

faire semblant d’être muet

Faire semblant de ne pas pouvoir parler.

En anglais simple : To pretend that you cannot speak.

• He played dumb and used gestures.
• She decided to play dumb, pretending she had no voice.
• To hide his accent, he played dumb when the guards questioned him.

Synonymes : pretend to be unable to speak

Expressions courantes : play dumb throughout, play dumb convincingly