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The word tomfoolery owes a debt to one Thome Fole, but just who that Mr. Fole was is unclear. A court jester identified as Thome Fole was employed at Durham Abbey in the 14th century, but the record is unclear about whether Thome Fole was the given name of this particular performer, or if the name was applied as a generic moniker to jesters. Regardless, Thome Fole eventually evolved into tomfool, which was in use as a noun referring to any notable fool by the early 17th century, and as an adjective describing such fools by the mid-18th century. Tomfoolery as a term for playful or foolish behavior didn’t come into use until the early 19th century, but it’s proven to be of far more use to English speakers than tomfool.
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Examples of tomfoolery in a Sentence
Abby Monteil, Them, 28 Oct. 2024
As Jackman turned 56 on Saturday, Oct. 12, his longtime friend and Deadpool & Wolverine costar wished him a happy birthday with a sweet tribute — and foreshadowed years of tomfoolery to come.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024
There is no hint that a bit of AI tomfoolery happened in this picture.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
The 49ers might have messed around all training camp and preseason, but there was no tomfoolery on display Monday night, as the Niners punched the Jets in the mouth early and refused to relent for a single moment.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2024
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“Tomfoolery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomfoolery. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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tomfoolery
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