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too clever by half

idiom

Shrewd but flawed by overthinking or excessive complexity, with a resulting tendency to be unreliable or unsuccessful.


Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all over hell's half acre

    All over the place; everywhere.

  2. 02

    as clever as a cartload of monkeys

    Very clever, cunning or mischievous.

  3. 03

    baker's half dozen

    Seven, a group of seven.

  4. 04

    box clever

    To act wisely.

  5. 05

    half a brain

    A very basic or minimal level of intelligence.

  6. 06

    half a head

    Synonym of half a brain.

  7. 07

    half a mind

    A moderate inclination.

  8. 08

    half joke

    A statement which contains elements of both jest and seriousness.

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