buy a pup
buy a pup
slang To buy something that ultimately proves to be worth nothing or less than promised. Primarily heard in UK. I'm sorry, but that's definitely not an authentic Louis Vuitton bag. You've bought a pup, my friend. He told us he has years of experience in this field when we hired him, but he acts like this is his first time handling accounts like this. I'm starting to think we bought a pup. I can't even get this darn camera to turn on. It seems I've bought a pup!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
sell somebody/buy a ˈpup
(old-fashioned, British English, informal) sell somebody or be sold something that has no value or is worth much less than the price paid for it: I’m wondering whether this really is a genuine Rolex. Do you think I’ve been sold a pup?The idea behind this idiom seems to be that someone dishonestly sells a young dog with no experience to someone who is expecting a more valuable older trained dog.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
pig in a poke, to buy a
To purchase something sight unseen and risk disappointment. The term comes from the ancient dishonest practice of putting a worthless cat in a bag (poke) in place of a young suckling pig, an expensive delicacy. The term was proverbial by the time John Heywood collected his proverbs (1546) and has been used ever since. See also let the cat out of the bag.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer