Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pig in a poke

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.49 in modern English

Syllables
pig in a poke
IPA
19
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
1
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Something whose true value is concealed or unknown and may be lower than expected by the buyer or claimed by the seller, especially something offered for sale.

Etymology

Reportedly from the practice of substituting a butchered cat, etc. for a suckling pig when sold in a sack at a market. Other theories circulate but all involve the purchase of a cat in a bag, where the buyer expected better. poke refers to a bag or sack, and is related to pouch.

Inflected Forms

pigs in a poke (plural) pigs in pokes (plural)

Phrases

puss in a bag sell someone a pup I have a bridge to sell you let the cat out of the bag

Frequently Paired Words

puss in a bag sell someone a pup I have a bridge to sell you let the cat out of the bag

Questions

What does pig in a poke mean?
Something whose true value is concealed or unknown and may be lower than expected by the buyer or claimed by the seller, especially something offered for sale.
Where does pig in a poke come from?
Reportedly from the practice of substituting a butchered cat, etc. for a suckling pig when sold in a sack at a market. Other theories circulate but all involve the purchase of a cat in a bag, where the buyer expected better. poke refers to a bag or sack, and is related to pouch.

How to pronounce pig in a poke

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pig in a poke”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pig in a poke”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pig in a poke” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.