dumb down

dumb (something) down

To make something less complicated to accommodate a less intelligent, educated, or sophisticated audience. The professor decided to dumb down the course material a bit after most of his class failed the first exam. I think we ought to dumb the play down a bit; after all, most of the people coming to see it won't have a PhD in drama.

dumb down

1. To cause something to be less complex, nuanced, or intellectually challenging, typically in order to make the content more appealing or accessible to a wider audience. A noun or pronoun can be used between "dumb" and "down." The first film was a real exploration of the human psyche, but they dumbed down the second film into a generic horror film. I think there are ways we can make the story resonate with the audience without dumbing it down.

2. To change a fictional character, as in a TV show or film series, to be or seem less intelligent than depicted previously. A noun or pronoun can be used between "dumb" and "down." They dumbed his character down in later seasons, turning him into a total goofball for cheap laughs.

dumb down

v. Slang

To simplify something excessively in order to make it suitable for a less educated or less sophisticated audience: The researchers dumbed down the report before releasing it to the public.

dumb down, to

To simplify or otherwise revise in order to appeal to someone of less education, taste, or intelligence. This slangy expression dates from the first half of the 1900s. Publishers Weekly used it in a review of The Business of Books by André Schiffrin: “. . . the attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator of taste, which has, he says, led network television and movies in such depressing directions, has dumbed down publishing to an alarming degree” (Aug. 21, 2000).

词组	dumb down
释义	dumb down dumb (something) down To make something less complicated to accommodate a less intelligent, educated, or sophisticated audience. The professor decided to dumb down the course material a bit after most of his class failed the first exam. I think we ought to dumb the play down a bit; after all, most of the people coming to see it won't have a PhD in drama. See also: down, dumb dumb down 1. To cause something to be less complex, nuanced, or intellectually challenging, typically in order to make the content more appealing or accessible to a wider audience. A noun or pronoun can be used between "dumb" and "down." The first film was a real exploration of the human psyche, but they dumbed down the second film into a generic horror film. I think there are ways we can make the story resonate with the audience without dumbing it down. 2. To change a fictional character, as in a TV show or film series, to be or seem less intelligent than depicted previously. A noun or pronoun can be used between "dumb" and "down." They dumbed his character down in later seasons, turning him into a total goofball for cheap laughs. See also: down, dumb Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. dumb down v. Slang To simplify something excessively in order to make it suitable for a less educated or less sophisticated audience: The researchers dumbed down the report before releasing it to the public. See also: down, dumb The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. dumb down, to To simplify or otherwise revise in order to appeal to someone of less education, taste, or intelligence. This slangy expression dates from the first half of the 1900s. Publishers Weekly used it in a review of The Business of Books by André Schiffrin: “. . . the attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator of taste, which has, he says, led network television and movies in such depressing directions, has dumbed down publishing to an alarming degree” (Aug. 21, 2000). See also: dumb The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: dumb (something) down the path less traveled the path less chosen tighten one's belt, to even/much/still less much less under (someone's or something's) shadow take the path less chosen under the shadow of (someone or something) in/under the shadow of References in periodicals archive But Hollywood's "entertainment" fare also serves to distract and dumb down the public, both intellectually and morally (page 38). From the editor It sounds suspiciously like the Natural History Unit has been told to dumb down. Flippant remarks insult to viewers; Last night I've been told I have not to dumb down. I've been in too many silly pictures." Frank is warned over snap judgment Television, it goes without saying, has been a leader of the race to dumb down, but even this frequently reckless medium managed to plunge to new levels in recent days. Drool Britannia loses its cool; America's penchant for dumbing down has now hit these shores, says Chief Feature Writer Dennis Ellam Current government standards dumb down encryption so much that a pedestrian computer hacker could crack the toughest codes allowed in a few hours. Code blue 'I thought you'd either have to dumb down because they're children, in which case it wouldn't be Mastermind. Try the chair, John tells MP But is that a good enough reason to dumb down further by abandoning our second city? Brian Reade column: Pebble without a cause
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