History PlayingWith / ObfuscatingStupidity

** Alice [[InspectorLestrade really is a bumbling moron]], but Bob is WrongGenreSavvy enough to believe she's just acting and starts treating her as a threat. Afterward, he denies every chance to ensure he's not being inspected because he thinks that [[BatmanGambit Alice is luring him into doing so]].

* '''Reconstructed''': ...So she continues to act dumb to her advantage. After all, since everyone still doesn't believe her, it gives her the advantage of surprise [[RefugeInAudacity again]].

'''Basic Trope''': An intelligent character pretends to be [[TheDitz less intelligent]] in order to fool people about how effective they are.
* '''Straight''': Alice pretends to be naive and unsuspecting so that Bob will not suspect she is investigating him.

** Alice pretends to be stupid, and Bob in turn pretends to fall for the act.

** Alice wants to appear less of a threat to Bob in order to lull him into a false sense of security.
** Bob is expecting an investigation and consequently wary of people who appear too smart, forcing Alice to downplay her intelligence in order to avoid suspicion.
** Alice needs to test how well the less educated will fare in the situation at hand to determine if Bob's work counts as a marketing stunt or as plain fraud.
** Alice is an actor playing a dumb character on TV.

** Alice thinks she is cleverly pretending to be stupid, but never considers the possibility that Bob isn't fooled for a second by 'dumb' act.

** Alice [[InspectorLestrade really is a bumbling moron,]] but Bob is WrongGenreSavvy enough to believe she's just acting and starts treating her as a threat. Afterward, he denies every chance he has to ensure he's not being inspected because he thinks that [[BatmanGambit Alice is luring him into doing so.]]

* '''Lampshaded''': "She's not as dumb as he appears to be!"

** Alice has too much pride to pretend to be a ditz, no matter the reasons why it would be beneficial. The most she will do is pretend to have done a faux pas, because even the smartest people on Earth can occasionally screw up.

* '''Played For Drama''': Alice lives in a world affected by TallPoppySyndrome. If anyone powerful thinks she's too clever, they will get rid of her.
* '''Played For Horror''': Alice is a SerialKiller who is BeneathSuspicion because she doesn't "looks" smart enough to have arranged three hundred murders.

** Alice is so good at playing the part of the fool, nobody takes her seriously even after she drops the act.

* '''Deconstructed''': Alice is so good at playing the part of the fool, nobody takes her seriously even after she drops the act.

* '''Exploited''': Alice gets out of doing favors for people by pretending to be stupid.

'''Basic Trope''': An intelligent character pretends to be less intelligent in order to fool people about how effective they are.

* '''Exaggerated''': Alice acts like a complete and total moron and manages to underhandedly deceive everyone around her for her own benefit because of this.

** Bob isn't fooled for a second by Alice's 'dumb' act.

* '''Exaggerated''':

* '''Defied''': "You're not as dumb as you look. ''Nobody'' could be as dumb as you look, and still be as successful as you are. I'm on to you."

** Alice pretends to be severely mentally retarded so that Bob will not suspect her.

** Bob is expecting investigation and consequently wary of people who appear too smart, forcing Alice to downplay her intelligence in order to avoid suspicion.

** Alice is a super genius capable of solving derivatives in her head; however, all she has to do to get people to think she's a dunce is say something like "1 + 1 = 11".
** Alice [[InspectorLestrade really is a bumbling moron,]] but Bob is WrongGenreSavvy enough to believe she's just acting, and starts treating her as a threat. Afterwards, he denies every chance he has to ensure he's not being inspected, because he thinks that [[BatmanGambit Alice is luring him into doing so.]]

* '''Implied''': Alice seems to be a blundering idiot, but there are occasional hints that she has some sort of agenda going on.