to act like a dingleberry
- idiom
- Offensive
:
hacer el gilipollas (España)
- If you act like a dingleberry at work, people might not take you seriously.
Examples
-
He tends to act like a dingleberry whenever he's nervous.
-
Please don't act like a dingleberry when we're meeting my parents tonight.
-
Don't act like a dingleberry in front of the guests!
-
He always acts like a dingleberry during meetings.
-
If you act like a dingleberry, it can annoy everyone around you.
-
During the important presentation, he began to act like a dingleberry, making everyone uncomfortable.
-
She always acts like a dingleberry when she is trying to impress her friends.
Synonyms
9
8.4
To behave rudely or meanly toward other people
3
8.0
To behave in a silly or embarrassing way to get attention
1
9.4
Act in a foolish way and ignore good advice
1
9.9
To behave in a rude, stupid way
1
9.9
To behave in a silly or clumsy way
1
9.9
To act in a foolish way
1
9.9
To act rudely and annoy other people
1
9.9
Act in a rude, foolish way that annoys or upsets other people
1
9.9
Act in a foolish, annoying way instead of being serious
To behave very rudely and make other people angry or upset
Behave in a rude, annoying, and foolish way toward other people
To behave in a foolish and clumsy way
To behave in a foolish, clumsy way that makes people laugh
Behave in a silly, careless way to avoid serious talk
Act in a silly and annoying way
To behave in a silly and immature way
Behave in a silly, clumsy way to make people laugh at you
To behave in a rude and annoying way
Behave in a rude and stupid way
To behave rudely and foolishly in a way that annoys or embarrasses people
To behave in a silly, awkward way that looks foolish
To behave rudely or foolishly in a way that annoys others
To behave in a rude or foolish way that annoys other people
Behave in a silly, not very smart way
To behave in a very foolish and rude way
Behave rudely and selfishly and annoy other people
To treat other people rudely and think only about yourself
Behave in a silly, clumsy way
To behave in a rude and hurtful way to other people
To behave in a silly or wild way that makes people laugh
To behave in a rude and annoying way
To behave foolishly or clumsily
To talk or act in a silly, unimportant way
Act in a silly, embarrassing way
To act in a rude, annoying way that other people dislike
Behave in a very rude and thoughtless way that upsets other people
To behave foolishly and show little common sense
Behave in a very childish way as an adult
Act in a silly or stupid way
Behave in a silly or foolish way
To ignore good advice and behave foolishly
To behave in a silly, rude way and break rules
How Foolish
- Offensive
- Offensive
- Offensive
88
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
act + like + a + dingleberry
The construction 'act like X' is compositional (behave in the manner of X), so if a learner knows the noun 'dingleberry' as a disgusting/sticky piece of feces and its slang use to insult a person, they can infer the meaning 'behave foolishly or obnoxiously'. However, the sense relies on a slang/metaphorical transfer from an object to a person and is culturally marked, so the precise insulting sense is not fully predictable for an uninformed B1 learner.
Etymology
Act like a dingleberry uses the rude word dingleberry, which means a small bit of poop stuck to hair near the bottom of the body. That dirty, funny image is why the phrase is used to call someone 'foolish' or 'annoying'.