foolproof en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈfuːl ˌpɹuːf/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ-der. Latin follis Old French folbor. Middle English fol English fool English proof English -proof English foolproof From fool + -proof.
Meanings
- Of a device: protected against, or designed to be proof against, misuse or error.
-
Of an idea or plan: certain to succeed in all eventualities, or claimed to be so; infallible.
My foolproof recipe is my gâteau fermière.
2021 June 1, Marie-Dominique, “‘Throw the ingredients together with reckless abandon!’: Guardian readers on their tastiest foolproof bakes”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 03 Jul 2021:Dill had hit upon a foolproof plan to make Boo Radley come out at no cost to ourselves (place a trail of lemon drops from the back door to the front yard and he’d follow it, like an ant).
1960 July 11, Harper Lee, chapter 15, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:From Nigella Lawson’s effortless spaghetti with Marmite to Chetna Makan’s foolproof chicken curry – the recipes to turn to when you want easy but tasty suppers
2022 January 24, Allan Jenkins, Molly Tait-Hyland, “The 20 best easy dinner recipes – every one simple and delicious”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2022:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most foolproof | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more foolproof | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
idiot-proof · dummy-proof · bulletproof
Translations (20)
nb idiotsikker ((plan) infallible) · sv idiotsäker ((device) fail-safe) · pl niezawodny ((plan) infallible) · ar مُحْكَمَة ((plan) infallible) · nn idiotsikker ((device) fail-safe) · nb idiotsikker ((device) fail-safe) · es seguro ((device) fail-safe) · ca infal·lible ((plan) infallible) · es infalible ((plan) infallible) · bg безопасен ((device) fail-safe) · pl idiotoodporny ((device) fail-safe) · es a prueba de tontos ((device) fail-safe) · da idiotsikker ((device) fail-safe) · nl onfeilbaar ((plan) infallible) · fr infaillible ((plan) infallible) · de narrensicher ((device) fail-safe) · cmn 防呆 ((device) fail-safe) · nl kogelbestendig ((plan) infallible) · cs blbuvzdorný ((device) fail-safe) · de idiotensicher ((device) fail-safe)