In the Middle Ages, Thome Fole was a name assigned to those perceived to be of little intelligence. This eventually evolved into the spelling tomfool, which, when capitalized, also referred to a professional clown or a buffoon in a play or pageant. The name Tom seems to have been chosen for its common-man quality, much like Joe Blow for an ordinary person or Johnny Reb for a soldier in the Confederate army, but tomfoolery need not apply strictly to actions by men. In Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (1908), for example, Marilla Cuthbert complains of Anne: "She's gadding off somewhere with Diana, writing stories or practicing dialogues or some such tomfoolery, and never thinking once about the time or her duties."
There was a lot of tomfoolery going on behind the scenes.
the open bar may have had something to do with the tomfoolery at the wedding reception
Recent Examples on the WebWas there any specific reason behind the Cleveland tomfoolery, these 6-foot high letters that have given more than a few air travelers an uneasy, eerie (or Erie) feeling?—Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2024 Its closest relative is Halloween, another holiday rooted in tomfoolery and chaos that unites and divides us in equal measure.—Marianne Eloise, Vulture, 15 Mar. 2024 The post even revealed some of the tomfoolery that goes on when the actors are not yet in character.—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024 Here's to another round of race weekend tunes and the tomfoolery that accompanies them.—Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 21 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for tomfoolery
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tomfoolery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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