1719. Durfey, Pills, etc., III., 9. ‘Praise of the Dairy Maid.’ A lady, I heard tell, Not far off did dwell, Made her husband a fool, and it pleased him quite well.
1774. Goldsmith, Retaliation. And by the same rule, Magnanimous Goldsmith’s a gooseberry fool.
No Fool, subs. phr. (American colloquial).—A phrase laudatory, applied to neuter nouns. Cf., No Slouch.
1848. Jones, Sketches of Travel, p. 33. I tell you what, Charlston ain’t no fool of a city.
To make a fool of, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To delude. Specifically (venery), to cuckold, or to seduce under promise of marriage.
To fool about (or around), verb. phr. (American).—To dawdle; to trifle with; to be infatuated with; to hang about; to defraud.
1837. A Glance at New York. Mose—Now look a-here, Liz,—I go in for Bill Sykes, ’cause he runs wid our machine; but he musn’t come foolin’ round my gal, or I’ll give him fits.
1884. Hawley Smart, Post to Finish, ch. xvii. From what I hear, you came to Riddleton, fooling after my daughter. Now, I’ll have no caterwauling of that sort.
1891. Gunter, Miss Nobody of Nowhere, p. 124. I should think you had too much ed-u-cash to fool about such a going on.
Fool-finder, subs. (obsolete).—A bum-bailiff.—Grose.