noun
tomfoolery
tom-FOO-luh-ree
noun
1
Silly or foolish behaviour; playful nonsense.
"The teacher had no patience for tomfoolery during the exam."
"Enough tomfoolery — we need to get this finished."
How to Use Tomfoolery
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSilly messing about, usually harmless.
Common pairings
no more tomfoolery
a bit of tomfoolery
Word Forms
tomfooleries plural
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Etymology
From "Tom" (used generically for an ordinary man) plus "foolery."