# Is there a word that means "playing smart"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099 "2014-12-24T15:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/1 "2014-12-24T15:40:59Z")
As in the opposite of “playing dumb”? Pretending to know or understand something you don’t. And I don’t mean faith in a religious sense. I had a supervisor who always had to be the expert on everything and sometimes would be “talking out his ass”, but I’m looking for something more polite. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/2 "2014-12-24T15:43:04Z")
Bluffing. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/3 "2014-12-24T15:45:57Z")
Depends on context. Crazy like a fox, keeping one’s cards close to the vest (or chest). I’m sure there’s more. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/4 "2014-12-24T15:59:16Z")
Is there a word for “playing dumb”? Even “playing dumb” has two meanings – pretending to be dumb, or doing something that is dumb. Playing smart would not be the opposite of both of those meanings. Therre are millions of verb-adverb combinations that have no single-word equivalent, which is why English has so many big long 4 and 5 word sentences. There is no word for “there are”, nor for “have no” nor for “which is” nor for “so many”, each of which has a one-word equivalent in many languages, if not most. You just have to get used to it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/5 "2014-12-24T16:10:53Z")
“Playing dumb” does not have two meanings. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/6 "2014-12-24T16:13:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > “Playing dumb” does not have two meanings. Yeah…I was gonna say. It’s always and only meant “pretending to have less knowledge than you actually do,” at least how I’ve ever heard it and used it. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/7 "2014-12-24T16:14:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > “Playing dumb” does not have two meanings. Depends whether you’re talking about your team or the opposing players. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/8 "2014-12-24T16:14:39Z")
Know-it-all comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/9 "2014-12-24T17:05:16Z")
Bullshitting. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/10 "2014-12-24T17:20:13Z")
" Obamanize" ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/11 "2014-12-24T17:23:19Z")
“morgan freeman” As in, “I totally morgan freemaned it.” The tenor of the presentation, and not any actual expertise, gives an impression the speaker is erudite. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/12 "2014-12-24T17:25:47Z")
From the title I was thinking gamesmanship would work, but after reading the OP “bluffing his way through a meeting” may be closer. A made-up word like “Cliff-Clavining” could fit. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/13 "2014-12-24T18:22:31Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > A made-up word like “Cliff-Clavining” could fit. Actually this kind of thing is best. I got it wrong, the opposite of ‘playing dumb’ means acting smart but not actually being smart. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/14 "2014-12-24T20:09:13Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > " Obamanize" Just a friendly reminder, let’s keep the political jabs out of GQ. No warning issued. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/15 "2014-12-24T20:09:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > “Playing dumb” does not have two meanings. Yes it does. My neighbor got into the market and played dumb , got some bad investments. I don’t like him, so when he asked me what to do to fix his situation, I had some good ideas, but I played dumb. Completely different. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/16 "2014-12-24T20:25:42Z")
He wasn’t playing dumb. He was _being_ dumb. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/17 "2014-12-24T20:31:51Z")
I’m fakin’ it until I’m makin’ it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/18 "2014-12-24T20:36:27Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Yes it does. My neighbor got into the market and played dumb , got some bad investments. I don’t like him, so when he asked me what to do to fix his situation, I had some good ideas, but I played dumb. Completely different. That phrase (emphasis added) would not be used by a native speaker of English. “Played dumb” is the type of phrase that could mean different things, but would generally cause confusion if you tried to use it instead of “played stupidly” because of it’s strong connotation with “pretended to not know”. Is English your native language? If not, then you might be aware of that. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2014, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/19 "2014-12-24T22:39:21Z")
Wily. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099/20 "2014-12-25T00:14:54Z")
I’m thinking a cross between bullshitting and bluffing is what I’m after. The context was a supervisor in a lab that had a mis-calibrated piece of equipment, but they didn’t know/appreciate it. Results “looked great”. No, they don’t. And that’s when I knew they were [insert word I’m looking for]. It might have been a cultural thing where they felt they must be the absolute expert on all things in the lab, because there were other similar occurrences with other procedures/protocols/analyses we did. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-that-means-playing-smart/708099.md?page=2)