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Citation Information
How to Cite
Manser, Martin H. "ask a silly question and you get a silly answer." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 18 Apr. 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=DOP00078>.
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ask a silly question and you get a silly answer

Definition 
If you ask a question that cannot be answered, or to which the answer is obvious, you are likely to receive a facetious or nonsensical reply: I asked her what time I should expect her and she said, "When I arrive." Ask a silly question and you get a silly answer! The proverb is based on a biblical quotation, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit" (Proverbs 26:5). Its current form is relatively recent; in earlier versions other words (such as foolish or strange) were used in place of silly.

Variant of this proverb: silly question, silly answer.

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