crazy like a fox

crazy like a fox

Very clever, cunning, or shrewd while appearing foolish or mad. People thought I was crazy when I told them my idea for massive social networking site—crazy like a fox, more like it! Our boss is crazy like a fox; her daredevil schemes always sound like they'll bankrupt us, but they invariably bring in a huge profit.
See also: crazy, fox, like
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

crazy like a fox

Seemingly foolish but actually very shrewd and cunning. For example, You think Bob was crazy to turn it down? He's crazy like a fox, because they've now doubled their offer . This usage gained currency when humorist S.J. Perelman used it as the title of a book (1944). [Early 1900s] .
See also: crazy, fox, like
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

crazy like a fox

AMERICAN, INFORMAL
If you describe someone as crazy like a fox, you mean that they seem strange or silly but may in fact be acting in a clever way. He can be as scary in person as he is on screen — that man is crazy like a fox. Note: The image here is of the fox that is traditionally seen as clever and able to trick people.
See also: crazy, fox, like
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

crazy like a fox

very cunning or shrewd.
See also: crazy, fox, like
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

crazy like a fox

Seemingly silly but actually very crafty. The title of a book (1944) by the great American humorist S. J. Perelman, this ungrammatical term came to be applied more widely soon afterward and is a borderline cliché.
See also: crazy, fox, like
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • plumb crazy
  • nut up
  • crazy in the head
  • (as) crazy as a bedbug
  • crazy as a bedbug
  • crazy as a loon
  • bedbug
  • peach
  • (as) crazy as a peach-orchard boar
  • orchard
References in periodicals archive
Crazy Like a Fox is the unabridged audiobook adaptation of a novel in the adventurous "Sister Jane" series, featuring the intrepid Jane Arnold and her four-legged friends.
Crazy Like a Fox
Crazy Like A Fox HTV, 1985-86 THERE'S a possibly apocryphal story I always tell when this little-remembered '80s detective show comes up in casual conversation - which, as you've probably guessed, means I've only told it about twice in the last 25 years.
TV TIMES PAST
The only question is whether President Ahmadinejad is crazy like a fox.
Iran's Ahmadinejad: crazy or crazy like a fox?