to make a fool of

To make a fool of someone means to do something to make another person or yourself look stupid/ foolish. It means to make another person or yourself feel embarrassed.

Example 1:

-        -  What happened at Julie’s birthday party last night?

-        -  Oh, you should have seen it! Daniel drank so much that he could not keep his balance at one point and fell in the pool! He always makes a fool of himself just after having a few shots of vodka.  

Meaning: Daniel made himself look foolish falling in the pool drunk. People laughed at him, and that made him feel embarrassed.

Example 2:

-          - Christine, I need your advice. My relationship with Bob is going south. We don’t spend much time together anymore. On the weekends, he says he is always busy or too tired to see me.

-          - Anna, he is simply making a fool out of you. He has another girlfriend! He is dating two girls at the same time! My advice- dump him!
   
     This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Speaking Savvy. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 4 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com