60 Idioms for Fooling Someone

Idioms are fun phrases where the words together mean something totally different from what they say one by one. People use them to make talking and writing more colorful, exciting, and full of life. Today, you are going to learn a bunch of helpful idioms that all have to do with fooling someone or playing a trick.

In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms for fooling someone that mean playing tricks or fooling people. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.

Idioms for Fooling Someone

1. Pull someone’s leg

Meaning: To tell someone a joke or a fib to make them believe something that is not true.

For Example: Marcus told his little brother that dogs can talk just to pull his leg. / Don’t get upset when he pulls your leg about the test being today.

Other Ways to Say: Tease someone / Kid around

2. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes

Meaning: To trick or deceive someone so they do not know what is really happening.

For Example: The clever fox tried to pull the wool over the farmer’s eyes. / You cannot pull the wool over my eyes because I saw everything.

Other Ways to Say: Hoodwink someone / Pull a fast one

3. Pull a fast one

Meaning: To trick someone quickly and sneakily to get an advantage.

For Example: He tried to pull a fast one and trade a fake baseball card for a real one. / Make sure nobody pulls a fast one on you at the toy swap.

Other Ways to Say: Cheat someone / Put one over

4. Put one over on someone

Meaning: To successfully trick or outsmart another person.

For Example: She thought she could put one over on her teacher, but the teacher noticed right away. / It is hard to put one over on someone who pays close attention.

Other Ways to Say: Fool someone / Outsmart someone

5. Play a trick

Meaning: To do something silly or sneaky to make someone look foolish.

For Example: The class wanted to play a trick on the substitute teacher by sitting in different desks. / Do not play a trick on your pets because it might scare them.

Other Ways to Say: Play a prank / Play a joke

6. Play for a sucker

Meaning: To treat someone as if they are foolish and easy to trick.

For Example: He felt bad when he realized the salesman was playing him for a sucker. / Never let anyone play you for a sucker when you buy trading cards.

Other Ways to Say: Take advantage / Make a fool of

7. Lead someone up the garden path

Meaning: To deceive someone by giving them false hope or wrong information.

For Example: The guide led the hikers up the garden path by promising a snack that did not exist. / Do not lead your friends up the garden path about the game time.

Other Ways to Say: Mislead someone / Feed false info

8. Lead someone on

Meaning: To make someone believe something that is not true, especially about your feelings or plans.

For Example: She did not mean to lead him on about coming to his birthday party. / It is not nice to lead people on when you know you cannot go.

Other Ways to Say: String along / Give false hope

9. String someone along

Meaning: To keep someone believing a lie or false promise for a long time.

For Example: He kept stringing his friend along about returning the borrowed bicycle. / Stop stringing us along and tell us the truth right now.

Other Ways to Say: Drag it out / Keep in suspense

10. Take someone for a ride

Meaning: To trick or cheat someone out of money or something valuable.

For Example: The scammer took the tourists for a ride by charging too much for the map. / Be careful buying old items online so nobody takes you for a ride.

Other Ways to Say: Rip off / Cheat someone

11. Rip someone off

Meaning: To charge way too much money or give a bad deal on purpose.

For Example: That store tried to rip me off by selling broken toys as brand new. / I felt ripped off when the candy bar was half empty.

Other Ways to Say: Overcharge / Cheat

12. Sell a bill of goods

Meaning: To persuade someone to believe something false or buy something useless.

For Example: The sneaky salesman sold the kids a bill of goods about a magic rock. / Do not let anyone sell you a bill of goods that sounds too good to be true.

Other Ways to Say: Deceive / Scam

13. Pull the rug out

Meaning: To suddenly take away support or trick someone by changing the rules.

For Example: They pulled the rug out from under the team by canceling the tournament. / I felt like my plans were ruined when they pulled the rug out.

Other Ways to Say: Sabotage / Surprise attack

14. Throw dust in someone’s eyes

Meaning: To confuse someone or hide the truth with clever tricks.

For Example: The magician threw dust in the audience’s eyes to hide the cards. / She tried to throw dust in her parents’ eyes about who broke the lamp.

Other Ways to Say: Cloud the issue / Confuse

15. Smoke and mirrors

Meaning: A trick or clever show used to hide the real truth from people.

For Example: The magic show was mostly smoke and mirrors, but it was still amazing. / His explanation of where the cookies went felt like smoke and mirrors.

Other Ways to Say: Illusion / Trickery

16. Sell snake oil

Meaning: To sell a fake product or medicine that does not actually work.

For Example: The traveling actor was just trying to sell snake oil to the townsfolk. / Do not buy things that promise miracles because they are just snake oil.

Other Ways to Say: Fake product / Worthless goods

17. Play possum

Meaning: To pretend to be asleep or dead to fool someone or avoid trouble.

For Example: The clever dog played possum when it was time to take a bath. / Sometimes wild animals play possum when they feel scared.

Other Ways to Say: Play dead / Pretend

18. Put on a front

Meaning: To act like everything is fine or pretend to be someone you are not.

For Example: He put on a brave front even though he was nervous about the spelling bee. / Stop putting on a front and just tell us how you really feel.

Other Ways to Say: Fake it / Act tough

19. Put on an act

Meaning: To pretend to feel or behave a certain way to trick people.

For Example: She was just putting on an act to make her brother feel bad. / I know you are putting on an act because you are smiling.

Other Ways to Say: Pretend / Play a role

20. Fool around

Meaning: To waste time or trick people playfully without being serious.

For Example: The teacher told the students to stop fooling around and start working. / We were just fooling around when we made up that silly story.

Other Ways to Say: Mess around / Joke

21. Pull the wool

Meaning: Short for tricking someone by hiding the obvious truth.

For Example: He tried to pull the wool, but everyone saw right through him. / You cannot pull the wool in this smart classroom.

Other Ways to Say: Hide the truth / Deceive

22. Pull a stunt

Meaning: To do a silly, risky, or sneaky trick to get attention.

For Example: Don’t pull a stunt like climbing onto the roof again. / The kids pulled a funny stunt during the assembly.

Other Ways to Say: Pull a trick / Cause mischief

23. Play a practical joke

Meaning: To trick someone in a physical or silly way for a laugh.

For Example: Putting a plastic spider in the desk is a classic practical joke. / He loves to play a practical joke on his friends on April Fools Day.

Other Ways to Say: Play a prank / Play a trick

24. Pull a prank

Meaning: To carry out a harmless trick on someone for fun.

For Example: We planned to pull a prank by switching the sugar and salt. / Always make sure your friends will laugh when you pull a prank.

Other Ways to Say: Play a joke / Play a prank

25. Hoodwink someone

Meaning: To trick or deceive someone, often in a clever or sneaky way.

For Example: The pirate tried to hoodwink the crew into giving up the treasure map. / Do not let flashy ads hoodwink you into buying junk.

Other Ways to Say: Trick someone / Deceive someone

26. Bamboozle someone

Meaning: To confuse or trick someone so they do not know what to do.

For Example: The tricky riddle completely bamboozled the whole table of kids. / The magician used fast hands to bamboozle the volunteers.

Other Ways to Say: Confuse / Baffle

27. Duped someone

Meaning: To trick or swindle someone into believing something false.

For Example: He felt silly after being duped into buying a broken flashlight. / The clever advertisement duped many shoppers into spending money.

Other Ways to Say: Tricked / Fooled

28. Take in someone

Meaning: To deceive or cheat someone by making them believe a lie.

For Example: The fake story took in many people on the internet. / I was completely taken in by his sad excuse for not doing homework.

Other Ways to Say: Fool / Deceive

29. Con someone

Meaning: To trick someone into giving you money or trusting you falsely.

For Example: The bad guy tried to con the old man out of his savings. / Never let strangers con you into sharing personal secrets online.

Other Ways to Say: Scam / Swindle

30. Swindle someone

Meaning: To cheat someone out of money using clever lies or tricks.

For Example: The thief tried to swindle the bakery out of their daily earnings. / It is illegal to swindle people out of their hard earned cash.

Other Ways to Say: Cheat / Rip off

31. Pull a con

Meaning: To run a dishonest scheme or trick to get what you want.

For Example: The movie character tried to pull a con at the grand casino. / We knew right away that they were trying to pull a con.

Other Ways to Say: Run a scam / Play a trick

32. Play a game on someone

Meaning: To trick or tease someone for personal amusement.

For Example: My older sister tried to play a game on me by hiding my shoes. / It is not nice to play a game on someone who is already sad.

Other Ways to Say: Tease / Trick

33. Pull a fast one on

Meaning: To trick someone swiftly before they can notice or stop you.

For Example: He tried to pull a fast one on the cashier with fake coins. / Be alert so no one pulls a fast one on you.

Other Ways to Say: Cheat / Outsmart

34. Bluff your way

Meaning: To pretend you know something or are stronger than you really are to fool others.

For Example: She tried to bluff her way through the trivia question without studying. / You cannot bluff your way through a math test.

Other Ways to Say: Fake it / Pretend

35. Put on airs

Meaning: To pretend to be richer, smarter, or better than you actually are.

For Example: He started putting on airs when he got a new pair of sneakers. / There is no need to put on airs around your true friends.

Other Ways to Say: Show off / Act snobby

36. Play act

Meaning: To pretend to be in a situation or feel an emotion that is not real.

For Example: The children were just play acting as brave knights in the yard. / Stop play acting and tell me if you are actually hurt.

Other Ways to Say: Pretend / Roleplay

37. Throw someone off the scent

Meaning: To trick pursuers or listeners by hiding the real trail or truth.

For Example: The clever puppy hid under the bed to throw us off the scent. / She changed the subject quickly to throw her mom off the scent.

Other Ways to Say: Distract / Mislead

38. Pull a blind

Meaning: To hide the truth or deceive someone with a false display.

For Example: They tried to pull a blind by cleaning the top room only. / The fake news story was just a blind to cover up the mistake.

Other Ways to Say: Cover up / Hide

39. Blow smoke

Meaning: To talk big or lie to make yourself look better or trick others.

For Example: He said he could jump over the fence, but he was just blowing smoke. / Do not listen to his bragging because he is only blowing smoke.

Other Ways to Say: Brag / Exaggerate

40. Feed someone a line

Meaning: To tell someone a made up story or false excuse on purpose.

For Example: He tried to feed his teacher a line about his dog eating his project. / She knew her brother was feeding her a line about chores.

Other Ways to Say: Lie / Make excuses

41. Feed someone a pack of lies

Meaning: To tell a complete and total set of lies to trick someone.

For Example: The villain fed the villagers a pack of lies about the castle. / Do not listen to that rumor because it is a pack of lies.

Other Ways to Say: Tell lies / Deceive

42. Pull someone’s chain

Meaning: To tease or trick someone playfully to get a reaction out of them.

For Example: I was just pulling your chain when I said school was canceled. / Stop pulling my chain and tell me the real score.

Other Ways to Say: Tease / Kid

43. Pull a fast game

Meaning: To run a sneaky trick or dishonest activity to win.

For Example: We caught them trying to pull a fast game during the board game. / Nobody likes playing with people who pull a fast game.

Other Ways to Say: Cheat / Play dirty

44. Play hide and seek with the truth

Meaning: To avoid telling the direct truth by hiding facts from someone.

For Example: Stop playing hide and seek with the truth and tell me what happened. / He was playing hide and seek with the truth about his homework.

Other Ways to Say: Hide facts / Evade

45. Put up a false front

Meaning: To act like everything is great while hiding a trick or problem.

For Example: The old shop put up a false front to look like a modern store. / She put up a false front to hide her nervousness.

Other Ways to Say: Pretend / Act

46. Spin a yarn

Meaning: To tell a long, made up, and unbelievable story to fool people.

For Example: Grandpa loves to sit on the porch and spin a yarn for us. / He tried to spin a yarn about why he was late to dinner.

Other Ways to Say: Make up a story / Exaggerate

47. Pull a rabbit out of a hat

Meaning: To surprise someone with an unexpected trick or solution.

For Example: We thought we lost the game, but our star player pulled a rabbit out of a hat. / She always pulls a rabbit out of a hat when we need supplies.

Other Ways to Say: Pull a surprise / Work magic

48. Lead down the garden path

Meaning: To trick someone into trusting the wrong person or idea.

For Example: The bad map led the explorers down the garden path. / Do not let smooth talkers lead you down the garden path.

Other Ways to Say: Mislead / Deceive

49. Play the fool

Meaning: To act silly on purpose to trick people or make them laugh.

For Example: He decided to play the fool to lighten the mood in the room. / Don’t play the fool when the teacher is giving important instructions.

Other Ways to Say: Act silly / Clown around

50. Make a monkey out of someone

Meaning: To make someone look foolish or trick them badly in public.

For Example: The tricky riddle made a monkey out of me in front of everyone. / He tried to make a monkey out of his friend during the game.

Other Ways to Say: Embarrass / Fool

51. Pull a fast shuffle

Meaning: To mix things up or trick someone using quick movements.

For Example: The card dealer tried to pull a fast shuffle to win the game. / Watch his hands so he does not pull a fast shuffle.

Other Ways to Say: Cheat / Trick

52. Sell a lemon

Meaning: To trick someone into buying something broken, like a bad car.

For Example: The dishonest dealer sold us a lemon that broke down immediately. / Check the bicycle carefully so nobody sells you a lemon.

Other Ways to Say: Cheat / Sell junk

53. Pull a fast one on the boss

Meaning: To trick someone in charge to get out of doing work.

For Example: He tried to pull a fast one on the manager by leaving early. / You cannot pull a fast one on our observant teacher.

Other Ways to Say: Fool the boss / Cheat

54. Pull the wool over

Meaning: To hide the truth from someone so they stay clueless.

For Example: It is hard to pull the wool over when parents are watching. / She tried to pull the wool over, but her smile gave her away.

Other Ways to Say: Keep in dark / Deceive

55. Play a double game

Meaning: To trick people by acting like a friend to both sides of an argument.

For Example: We found out he was playing a double game with our club secrets. / Do not play a double game or you will lose all your friends.

Other Ways to Say: Two-faced / Sneaky

56. Pull a fast trick

Meaning: To do a quick, sneaky deception before anyone notices.

For Example: The magician pulled a fast trick with the vanishing coin. / Be careful because some kids like to pull a fast trick at recess.

Other Ways to Say: Quick prank / Fast trick

57. Put a gloss on

Meaning: To make something bad look good or trick people with a shiny excuse.

For Example: He tried to put a gloss on his messy bedroom by shutting the door. / You cannot put a gloss on a failed test.

Other Ways to Say: Cover up / Sugarcoat

58. Throw sand in someone’s eyes

Meaning: To confuse someone or hide facts to trick them.

For Example: The cheater threw sand in our eyes to win the race. / Stop trying to throw sand in our eyes and admit the truth.

Other Ways to Say: Confuse / Deceive

59. Play a false tune

Meaning: To give false information or pretend to agree while planning a trick.

For Example: He played a false tune when he said he liked the plan. / Do not play a false tune with your teammates.

Other Ways to Say: Fake it / Pretend

60. Pull a fast scam

Meaning: To run a quick, dishonest trick to steal or cheat.

For Example: The criminal tried to pull a fast scam near the park. / Always stay alert so you do not fall for a fast scam.

Other Ways to Say: Run a scam / Cheat

Exercise to Practice

1. My big brother loves to ________ by telling me that our dog can drive a car.
2. The clever fox tried to ________ of the farmer by sneaking into the chicken coop.
3. Don’t let that sneaky salesman ________ you into buying a broken bicycle.
4. I knew he was just trying to ________ when he said the test was canceled.
5. The magician used fast hands to ________ everyone in the front row.
6. She felt silly after being ________ into trading her rare card for a fake one.
7. Stop trying to ________ your teacher with a silly excuse about your homework.
8. Grandpa loves to sit by the fire and ________ about his childhood adventures.
9. We thought our team would lose, but our captain managed to ________ during the final seconds.
10. He tried to ________ by pretending he knew all the answers to the trivia game.
11. The dishonest dealer tried to ________ to us by selling a bicycle with flat tires.
12. Be careful when trading toys so nobody tries to ________ on you.
13. The trick riddle completely ________ the entire table of students.
14. She didn’t mean to ________ about coming to the party, she just got confused about the date.
15. The naughty kittens tried to ________ when we caught them playing with yarn.

Answer Key

1. pull my leg
2. pull the wool over the eyes
3. rip you off
4. pull a fast one
5. bamboozle
6. duped
7. feed a line
8. spin a yarn
9. pull a rabbit out of a hat
10. bluff his way
11. sell a lemon
12. pull a fast one
13. bamboozled
14. lead him on
15. play possum

Conclusion

Learning idioms about fooling someone helps you understand jokes, stories, and everyday conversations much better. When you know what these colorful phrases mean, you will never get tricked by them yourself.

Try using a few of these fun expressions the next time you tell a joke or share a funny story with your friends. Practicing them out loud is a great way to remember them and make your speaking sound awesome.