bait and switch
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.78 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
1
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An unscrupulous and sometimes illegal sales technique, in which an inexpensive product is advertised to attract prospective customers who are then told by sales personnel that the inexpensive product is unavailable or of poor quality and are instead urged to buy a more expensive product.
noun
Any similar deceptive behavior, especially in politics and romantic relationships.
Example Sentences
- "Seereeram and other critics say it was a sort of bait and switch. Citibank met with Trintomar three times in the spring of 1992 to pitch its original $66 million refinancing proposal, and in a letter dated Sept. 9, Trintomar asked for a formal proposal. The next day, Citibank sent a letter outlining the extra $96.5 million loan in several pages of eye-glazing detail."
- "A teasing bait and switch, whereby creators promise more explicit content than they deliver, is a well-known feature of the industry."
- "Jon: Hey, Garfield, let's get a pizza! […] Jon:On the way we'll stop at the vet. Garfield: It's the old bait and switch!"
- "Not when you are baiting and switching down from a stately antebellum manse to a tenement crack house."
- "... she baits and switches then baits again."
- "they often baited and switched: promised top people but sent the third string."