🗓️ Idiom: Play the Clown (verb)
💬 Meaning
- To act silly or make others laugh, often to entertain or get attention.
- To behave in a funny or exaggerated way at work.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Jack loves to play the clown during team meetings to keep the mood light.
- You don’t have to play the clown to make your colleagues smile.
- She sometimes plays the clown to reduce tension in stressful situations.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase comes from the role of a clown in traditional theatre and circuses, where performers wore bright clothes and makeup to amuse the audience. “Play the clown” has been used since the 16th century to describe someone acting foolish or humorous for entertainment.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
During office parties, Tom loves to _______ to make everyone laugh.
Answer
play the clown
2. Multiple choice:
What does it mean to “play the clown”?
a) To act serious and quiet
b) To behave in a funny or silly way
c) To avoid joining group activities
Answer
b) To behave in a funny or silly way
3. Change the sentence using “play the clown”:
“Mark always makes everyone laugh at work.”
Answer
Mark loves to play the clown at work.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
📚 Learning Resources
👉 Idioms for Humour in the Workplace
👉 Business English Idioms List
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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