clown around

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

clown around (third-person singular simple present clowns around, present participle clowning around, simple past and past participle clowned around)

1. To have fun in an irresponsible manner.

   Synonyms: clown about, goof around, goof off, horse around, mess about, mess around, muck about, muck around, muck up (Australia), yuk it up; (vulgar) fuck about, fuck around, fuck off

   Coordinate terms: act out, act up

   • 2017 May 16, Jerry Stuger, “Kafka and Autism. The Undisclosed Logic Behind Kafka’s Work”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, volume 47, →DOI, pages 2336–2347:

     While in Matliary, where Kafka stayed to recover from his tuberculosis he often confided in Robert Klopstock, one of his favorite fellow patients. Klopstock must have been deeply impressed to find that one could have long and serious discussions about Zionism, Christianity, Dostoevsky, and love to clown around and think up practical jokes with one and the same person (Stach 2013).

Translations

have fun in an irresponsible manner

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 胡鬧／胡闹 (zh) (húnào)

• Finnish: pelleillä (fi)
• German: herumdameln (Westphalia)
• Latin: scurror, dēsipiō
• Russian: валя́ть дурака́ (ru) impf (valjátʹ duraká)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: spela pajas, fåna sig, spela allan (sv), clowna runt, apa (sv)