Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sell someone a pup

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.62 in modern English

Syllables
sel-l- -some-one a pup
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
5
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To sell something of little worth, pretending that it is something else of greater value.

British usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

From an old swindle, where one would be sold a bag purportedly containing a piglet, but actually containing a puppy. Compare pig in a poke.

Usage

Inflected Forms

sells someone a pup (present, singular) selling someone a pup (participle, present) sold someone a pup (participle, past) sold someone a pup (past)

Phrases

buy a pup sell someone a bill of goods let the cat out of the bag pig in a poke

Frequently Paired Words

buy a pup sell someone a bill of goods let the cat out of the bag pig in a poke

Synonyms

abuse beglammer counterfeit deceive catch trap into dissemble dissimulate feign jiff lead astray overreach

Questions

What does sell someone a pup mean?
To sell something of little worth, pretending that it is something else of greater value.
Where does sell someone a pup come from?
From an old swindle, where one would be sold a bag purportedly containing a piglet, but actually containing a puppy. Compare pig in a poke.

How to pronounce sell someone a pup

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