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fool
fool
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
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2006
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© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information)
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fool a fool and his money are soon parted proverbial saying, late 16th century.
a fool at forty is a fool indeed proverbial saying, early 16th century, from the poet Edward Young (1683–1765), and meaning that someone who has not learned wisdom by the age of forty will never learn it. A mid 16th-century sermon has the same idea in reference to the age of forty-one, ‘And he that hath not learned some experience or practice and trade of the world by that age will never be wise.’
a fool may give a wise man counsel sometimes used as a warning against overconfidence in one's judgement; saying recorded from the mid 14th century.
fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me if someone is deceived twice their own stupidity is to blame; saying recorded from the early 17th century (in the earliest versions, the verb is
deceive).
fool's errand a task or activity that has no hope of success.
fool's gold a brassy yellow mineral that can be mistaken for gold, especially pyrite.
fool's paradise a state of happiness based on a person's not knowing about or denying the existence of potential trouble.
there's no fool like an old fool often used to suggest that the folly of an older person is particularly worthy of castigation. The saying is recorded from the mid 16th century.
see also
fools,
a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client,
more people know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows.
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Fools are right at home in TV, movies
Newspaper article from: The Gazette; 4/1/2001; ; 700+ words
; ...idiot. Gilligan was a fool. None of these classic...meeting. But the fools have an innocence...Friends" cast plays the fool at times - Matthew...in the 1997 film "Fools Rush In." But it...exemplifies the modern fool. Still, these chuckleheads...millennium's King of Fools: Jim Carrey. ...
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WHERE FOOLS CASH IN; BROTHERS' MISSION TO SIMPLIFY WORLD OF STOCK INVESTING.(Business)
Newspaper article from: Daily News (Los Angeles, CA); 2/9/1998; 700+ words
; ...please don't call them fools. David and Tom Gardner, founders of The Motley Fool online investors forum...imbeciles. But they are fools, in the spirit of the...and read tips from the Fool staff. This grass-roots...forms the core of the Fools' goal of demystifying...
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PITY THE...FOOL ...OR ON THE HONORED DAY FOR PRANKSTERS, JUST EMBRACE THE SILLINESS.(Life and Arts)
Newspaper article from: Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA); 4/1/2008; 700+ words
; ...educated, I'd be a damn fool. - Bob Marley Fools rush in where angels fear...Romantic comedy. 4.8 FOOLS IN SONG The Beatles: The Fool on the Hill Doobie Brothers...and the Teenagers: Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Shakira: Fool
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FOOL'S GOLD, AGAIN INVESTMENT FORUM'S MEMBERS HAD PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT NEWS ARTICLE EVEN BEFORE PUBLICATION.(Business)
Newspaper article from: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO); 2/2/1997; ; 700+ words
; ...TokyoMex, informed Fools that he had given...was whether Motley Fool can influence a...accessing Motley Fool, the Gardner brothers and Fools. Nor was it negative...That's why the Fool has links to some...A number of Fools criticized the article...
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The Motley Fool Reinforces Management Team; GE Capital Executive Named CFO; Longtime Fool Tapped To Direct Key Resources.
Business Wire; 3/29/2001; 700+ words
; ...BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 2001 The Motley Fool made two management announcements today...with the corporate strategy of The Motley Fool, the personal finance multimedia company...Officer Scott Schedler comes to The Motley Fool with 15 years of experience as a financial...
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The Motley Fool Announces $30 Million in Venture Capital Financing; Softbank, AOL Time Warner Ventures, Maveron, and Mayfield Fund Contribute to Fool's Second Round.
Business Wire; 1/30/2001; 700+ words
; ...second round of financing for The Motley Fool, Inc., the Alexandria, VA-based multimedia...David Gardner, who co-founded The Motley Fool with his brother, Tom, in 1994. "Like...believe in investing for the long term. The Fool is almost seven years old--an eternity...
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The Motley Fool Selects New Rule Breaker.
PR Newswire; 9/22/2000; 700+ words
; ...Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Motley Fool announced yesterday after market close...industry." In keeping with The Motley Fool's commitment to providing individual...timely access to information, The Motley Fool always announces its intent to purchase...
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Faithful Fools chip away at the boundaries; Franciscan nun teams with Unitarian minister to serve in San Francisco's Tenderloin district.(RELIGIOUS LIFE)(Brief article)
Magazine article from: National Catholic Reporter; 2/20/2009; ; 700+ words
; ...are a visible symbol of the Faithful Fools ministry. Barsody and Jorgensen define themselves as fools because a fool or a jester is someone who lives without...she can go anywhere and say anything. Fools once served as comedic commentators and...
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Motley Fool Goes From Free to Fee; Financial Web Site Will Charge for Discussion Boards
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 1/31/2002; ; 700+ words
; Motley Fool Inc., an Alexandria company...The boards are used by loyal "fools" to discuss topics including...nutrition tips and politics. Motley Fool is offering free subscriptions...really care about the Motley Fool community have already paid...
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THE MOTLEY FOOL: The Motley Fool UK and Global Investor Bookshop strike foolish deal.
M2 Presswire; 4/21/1999; 700+ words
; M2 PRESSWIRE-21 April 1999-THE MOTLEY FOOL: The Motley Fool UK and Global Investor Bookshop strike foolish deal...99 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:200499 The Motley Fool UK (www.fool.co.uk) has signed an exclusive...
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fool
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
...existence of potential trouble. there's no fool like an old fool often used to suggest that the folly of an...recorded from the mid 16th century. see also fools , a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client , more people know Tom Fool...
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fools
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
...saying is recorded from the mid 19th century. fools rush in where angels fear to tread a foolish...on Criticism (1711). see also children and fools tell the truth , fool , fortune favours fools , ship of fools , young folks think old folks...
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fools and jesters
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to British History
...ecclesiastics also had their fools. Patison, More's fool, was painted by...Worcester kept a fool and the prior went...his costume. Few fools are to be found in...Shakespeare's fools—Touchstone and Lear's fool—have...
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The Motley Fool, Inc.
Book article from: International Directory of Company Histories
...x201C; A fool, fool! I met a fool i ’ the forest, a motley fool. ” It was a fitting...Elizabethan literature, the fool was the one person at court...perceived themselves as the fools of Wall Street. They would...
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Fool
Book article from: The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre
Fool, licensed buffoon of the medieval Feast of Fools , later an important member...confused with the Court Fool . The traditional costume...either a replica of a fool's head on a stick or...figured in the Feast of Fools.
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