I assume the word "fool" has the same meaning as an "idiot" or "stupid". Then, are they interchangeable in this context?

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

Good question! In this context, they are not interchangeable. Here "fool" means a lack of judgment or critical thinking about a situation, but he still has good general intelligence. The word "idiot" implies a lack of general intelligence. "Stupid" is the most similar to "fool" in this context. "Stupid" can mean the same thing as "idiot", but here it would imply that he was only "stupid" with this one thing, and not in general. Ex: How could I have been so stupid?! I should have noticed the problems. Ex: Tom's an idiot most of the time. But you'll grow to like him. Ex: I made a fool out of myself by trusting her. Ex: You're a fool for not seeing the good in the situation.

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Popular Q&As

12/04

1
What does "miss" mean here?
"Miss" here refers to feeling sad or regretful because an occurrence is not happening anymore, or you are not seeing someone anymore. Here, he is saying that he feels sad and regretful because he and his friend don't get together often anymore. Ex: I miss my mom, I haven't seen her in weeks. Ex: She misses going to the bakery that closed last month.

2
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3
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4
Can I skip "down" here? Does it still make a sense without "down"?
Good question! Yes, you can omit "down" here. "Down" in this context is a preposition and makes the term "descend down" become a phrasal verb. However, to "descend" already implies a downward movement, and so the preposition "down" is not necessary here but can just be used to add emphasis.

5
What does "I dare you" mean? When can I use this expression?
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