don't play dumb

What it means

To 'play dumb' is to deliberately act as if you don't know or understand something, usually to avoid responsibility, sidestep a question, or get information out of someone. Telling someone 'don't play dumb' is a direct way to say you can see through their act and want a real answer.

Examples

• Don't play dumb with me, I saw you take the last cookie.
• He played dumb when the boss asked who broke the printer.
• Don't play dumb, you knew exactly what time the meeting started.
• She played dumb at first, but eventually admitted she had read his messages.

Where it comes from

Here 'dumb' uses its older sense of 'unable to speak' or, by extension, 'unaware' and 'ignorant'. The expression developed in American English in the early 20th century to describe pretending not to know what's going on.

Related idioms