to make an ass of oneself
7
8.5
- idiom
- Offensive
:
hacer el ridículo
- And, frankly, you're making an ass of yourself.
- make an ass of yourself in front
- stop making an ass of yourself
Examples
-
Now, let's face it, I made an ass of myself and I know it.
-
I made an ass of myself.
-
You did; you made an ass of yourself.
-
You are making an ass of yourself.
-
Robert was sure they were laughing inside, waiting for him to make an ass of himself.
Academic text (2008) -
But I'm not going to help you make an ass of yourself.
-
Stop making an ass of yourself, Gordon.
-
In any event, you are making an ass of yourself with these pronouncements.
Blog text (33) -
- Why didn’t you stop me from making an ass of myself?
-
When you make an ass of yourself at a party, people tend to remember it for a long time.
Synonyms
42
4.1
Act in a way that makes you look silly or embarrassed
3
8.0
To behave in a silly or embarrassing way to get attention
3
8.4
Make someone look silly in front of other people by tricking or embarrassing them
2
8.1
To act in a silly, embarrassing way to make people laugh
1
9.9
To make yourself look foolish by doing or saying silly things
1
7.5
To behave so others notice you in an embarrassing way
1
9.9
To act rudely and annoy other people
Behave in a silly, clumsy way to make people laugh at you
To embarrass yourself by doing something awkward in front of other people
To behave in a silly, awkward way that looks foolish
Behave in a rude, annoying, and foolish way toward other people
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 rude and annoying way
How Foolish
- Offensive
7
8.5
88
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
make + an + ass + of + oneself
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'make' (cause) + 'ass' (a foolish or stupid person) + 'oneself' clearly yields 'cause oneself to appear foolish.' The construction is compositionally transparent and has close parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The idiom make an ass of oneself comes from comparing a person to a ass (a donkey), an animal people long saw as silly or stubborn. If you behave like a donkey — clumsy, loud, or stubborn — others laugh, so the phrase means 'to behave foolishly'.