damn fool
10
9.2
- idiom
- /dæm fuːl/
- Offensive
:
maldito idiota
- Marvin Bookman, you're a damn fool.
Examples
-
Man, what are you, a damn fool?
-
She felt like a damn fool.
Fiction book (2002) -
Still acting the damn fool, I see.
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So, like a damn fool, I--
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Only trouble is, I-- I end up making a damn fool of myself.
-
"Get the hell out of here, you damn fool!"
Fiction book (1999) -
And you're a damn fool to come here.
-
You're a damn fool, Henry.
-
You're a damn fool.
-
Why did you act like a damn fool and trust him?
Synonyms
∞
1.2
A person who acts very stupidly, used as an insult
665
9.9
A rude word for a person who is cruel or very annoying
3
9.9
A rude name for a person who is very silly or not smart
1
9.8
A rude word for a person who is very stupid
1
9.9
An angry or playful word said to call someone silly
A rude word shouted to show anger or call someone a bad name
A very rude name used to insult someone who does something very stupid
A word for a foolish person that people say as an insult
A person who behaves carelessly and speaks without thinking
How Insulting
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward combination of 'damn' as an intensifier and 'fool' as a person who acts unwisely, so the overall meaning 'a very foolish person' is directly derivable from the constituents. This intensifier + noun pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal compositional rules (aside from the colloquial/vulgar register of 'damn'), making it comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both words.
Etymology
Damn fool began as a strong mix of damn (to say someone is 'condemned') and fool (a silly person), so shouting it is like saying the person deserves to be blamed for a very silly act. That's why people use it as a quick insult.