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Laborious Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

"To befool somebody" and "To make somebody fool" (Is there any difference, please)

Hello,

Could you please tell me if both the sentences are correct or not, and what the difference between their meaning is?

Here are the sentences:

- I think he is trying to befool you. ('befool' is a verb here. Is that right, teachers?)

- I think he is trying to make you fool. (Should there be the idefinite artice 'a' before 'fool' in this sentence, or is it OK without that?)

Thank you all.
  

Top answer

The word 'befool' is not in my dictionary. The common and natural expression is eg I think he is trying to make a fool of you . eg Mary made a fool of Tom.

— Clive

  • The word 'befool' is not in my dictionary.
  • The common and natural expression is eg I think he is trying to make a fool of you .
  • eg Mary made a fool of Tom.
  • eg He is making a fool of himself.
  • Clive
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3 Answers
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The word 'befool' is not in my dictionary.

The common and natural expression is
eg I think he is trying to make a fool of you.
eg Mary made a fool of Tom.
eg He is making a fool of himself.
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Laborious I think he is trying to make a fool of you.
As shown above. Yes, the word 'befool' is in at least some dictionaries, but it's a very old word that is not used in modern English as far as I know. At least I had to look it up to be sure it was a word. My spell checker even marks it as a mistake. Therefore, even a
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CliveThe word 'befool' is not in my dictionary.
It's in Webster's 1913 dictionary with a couple of citations. I never use it, but have maybe read it a few times over the years.
It means to deceive, cheat, trick, or dupe.
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