Plug one's ears while stealing a bell -- Play the role of the ostrich

In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), a man went into a house whose owner had died, hoping to steal some valuables. He found a big bell with strange inscriptions on it.

What a treasure! he thought, It must be very old. He decided to carry it home. But the bell was too heavy, so he said to himself, If I can't have the whole bell, I can still get a lot of money for the metal. Why not break it into pieces? Then I can take it home bit by bit.

So he got a big hammer and started to smash the bell. When he tried to knock it into pieces there was a loud clanging sound. He was afraid that someone will hear the noise, Oh dear, am I not telling the neighbors that I'm stealing the bell?

But then he noticed that when he pressed his hands hard, the bell became so faint that he could hardly hear it.

I know what to do! All I have to do is plug my ears and the sound of the bell will be greatly reduced. No one will be able to hear the noise I make.

So, he stuffed his ears with cotton wool and started to hammer at the bell again. Of course he made a lot of noise which alerted the neighbors who rushed to the spot and caught him red-handed.

The man is playing the role of the ostrich and can fool nobody except himself. Anyone who does something bad but thinks he can deceive others by feigning innocence is called .