to make an ass of oneself
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To do something very foolish. To expose oneself to ridicule.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to make an ass of oneself” mean?
To do something very foolish. To expose oneself to ridicule.
Is “to make an ass of oneself” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.