proverb · Words worth keeping
A fool is fulsome.
A fool is fulsome.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying describes a fool as fulsome. In a qualified older negative sense, the word can express behaviour that is excessive, objectionable or unpleasant.
What the words are saying
The brief judgment names no particular action, so the exact fault cannot be established from it alone. A careful application uses the vocabulary to understand the disparagement rather than treating fool as an explanation of a person’s entire character. If conduct needs criticism, describing the actual action is more useful than attaching a sweeping label.
Everyday example
A reader asks which behaviour is being criticised instead of assuming the insult supplies a complete account of the person.
When to use it
Use it to examine a terse judgment with an older negative adjective.
What it does not mean
Fulsome has several senses; this reading does not establish the precise fault or justify contempt.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases
Entry 609 · Fool
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- English