1. trans. To make a fool of; to dupe, delude.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 236. Many wise Befoled have hem self er this.
1622. Heylin, Cosmogr., III. (1682), 220. Befooling him with as glorious Titles.
1673. H. Stubbe, Furth. Vind. Dutch War, App. 81. The old Rumpers were befoold by Cromwel.
1765. Wesley, Wks. (1872), XII. 323. Be temperate in speaking: else Satan will befool you.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., II. iii. 260. One age he is hagridden, bewitched; the next, priestridden, befooled.
2. To treat as a fool, call ‘fool.’
1612. W. Sclater, Sick Souls Salve, 33. That rash censuring and befooling others.
a. 1617. Hieron, Wks., II. 166. Who is hee, whom Salomon doth so often be-foole in his Prouerbs?
1684. Bunyan, Pilgr., II. 180. They … befooled themselves for setting a Foot out of Doors in that Path.
1864. Tennyson, Aylmer’s F., 590. Being much befool’d and idioted By the rough amity of the other.
3. To squander foolishly, ‘fool away.’ rare.
1861. Smiles, Engineers, I. 468. In this way Sir Thomas seems to have befooled his estate, and it shortly after became the property of the Alsager family.
Hence, Befooled, Befooling ppl. a.; Befooling vbl. sb.; Befoolment sb.
1677. Gilpin, Dæmonol. (1867), 197. Either of these ways Satan makes use of for the befooling of men.
1681. Baxter, Search Schism., iii. 44. A transitory befooling dream.
1842. Miall, Nonconf., II. 8. Ah! we are a befooled people.
1884. Pall Mall Gaz., 14 May, 11/2. Diffusing a general glamour of religiosity over the whole place for the general befoolment of those easy souls who imagine that an atmosphere of diluted clericalism will give to their boys that strength to resist the temptation of youth.
