The Collaborative International Dictionary
Fool \Fool\, n. [OE. fol, n. & adj., F. fol, fou, foolish, mad; a fool, prob. fr. L. follis a bellows, wind bag, an inflated ball; perh. akin to E. bellows. Cf. Folly, Follicle.]
One destitute of reason, or of the common powers of understanding; an idiot; a natural.
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A person deficient in intellect; one who acts absurdly, or pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom; one without judgment; a simpleton; a dolt.
Extol not riches, then, the toil of fools.
--Milton.Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.
--Franklin. -
(Script.) One who acts contrary to moral and religious wisdom; a wicked person.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
--Ps. xiv. 1. -
One who counterfeits folly; a professional jester or buffoon; a retainer formerly kept to make sport, dressed fantastically in motley, with ridiculous accouterments.
Can they think me . . . their fool or jester?
--Milton.April fool, Court fool, etc. See under April, Court, etc.
Fool's cap, a cap or hood to which bells were usually attached, formerly worn by professional jesters.
Fool's errand, an unreasonable, silly, profitless adventure or undertaking.
Fool's gold, iron or copper pyrites, resembling gold in color.
Fool's paradise, a name applied to a limbo (see under Limbo) popularly believed to be the region of vanity and nonsense. Hence, any foolish pleasure or condition of vain self-satistaction.
Fool's parsley (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant ( [AE]thusa Cynapium) resembling parsley, but nauseous and poisonous.
To make a fool of, to render ridiculous; to outwit; to shame. [Colloq.]
To play the fool, to act the buffoon; to act a foolish part. ``I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.''
--1 Sam. xxvi. 21.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context idiomatic English) A foolish undertaking, especially one that is purposeless, fruitless, nonsensical, or certain to fail. 2 (context idiomatic English) Such an undertaking, assigned as a prank.
WordNet
n. a fruitless mission
Wikipedia
A fool's errand may mean:
- Another term for a snipe hunt, an impossible task
- Fool's Errand (novel), a novel by Robin Hobb
- A Fool's Errand (1879) novel by author Albion W. Tourgée
- The Fool's Errand, a 1987 computer game
- A brand of snack cracker, popular in the 1980s
Fool's Errand is a book by Robin Hobb, the first in her Tawny Man Trilogy. It commences 15 years after the events in Assassin's Quest, a period covered by The Liveship Traders Trilogy ( Ship of Magic, The Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny); it resumes the story of FitzChivalry Farseer after he has wandered the world and finally settled to a quiet, cottage-dwelling life with his adopted son Hap.
Usage examples of "fool's errand".
But I don't mind telling you, I'd rather bring my fleet upcoast and sail up the Rhenus, set us in place to crack Skaldi skulls-and Camaeline, come to it-than go chasing off on a fool's errand to Alba.
I can't sacrifice Kiely, though I'd love to, because that will upset the Spaniards and I can't sacrifice you because you're too junior and, besides, I need you for the next time I've got a fool's errand, but Colonel Claud Runciman was born for this moment, Richard.
He had persuaded her to come on this fool's errand, and she had not taken much persuading, but now she was here Sharpe was concerned that he could not protect both her and Lawford.
Whatever fool's errand you're on this time, I reckon Terre d'Ange owes you that much.
Now was the worst period of waiting, of wondering whether the whole voyage might not prove to be a fool's errand, patrolling, beating up to within sight of Trinidad and then going about and reaching past Tobago again towards Grenada.
A ship could easily take two or three months to sail from Chile to Spain, and if Louisa had been in England when the news arrived in Galicia then it was no wonder that Sharpe and Harper had come on a fool's errand.