pig in a poke

noun

1. something not adequately appraised or of undetermined value, as an offering or purchase.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pig in a poke¹

First recorded in 1520–30

Idioms and Phrases

An object offered in a manner that conceals its true value, especially its lack of value. For example, Eric believes that buying a used car is buying a pig in a poke . This expression alludes to the practice of substituting a worthless object, such as a cat, for the costly suckling pig a customer has bought and wrapping it in a poke , or sack. It dates from a time when buyers of groceries relied on a weekly farmers' market and, unless they were cautious enough to check the poke's contents, would not discover the skullduggery until they got home. The word poke dates from the 13th century but is now used mainly in the southern United States. The idiom was first recorded in John Heywood's 1562 collection of proverbs. Also see let the cat out of the bag .

Example Sentences

Pruitt likens the “Apprentice” deception to the classic “pig in a poke” con — a similar premise, only involving livestock — as he sets up the squealer near the end, revealing Trump used a racist term casually in his presence.

From Salon

“Dr. Van Helsing, I don’t quite like to ‘buy a pig in a poke,’ as they say in Scotland, and if it be anything in which my honour as a gentleman or my faith as a Christian is concerned, I cannot make such a promise.

From Literature

By the time credulous buyers got home and discovered a cat instead, unscrupulous vendors would be long gone, having gotten away with selling “a pig in a poke” — “poke” being an archaic synonym for “bag.”

From Washington Post

Charles Michel, president of the European Council, tweeted after the Johnson meeting, “Ready to put a tiger in the tank but not to buy a pig in a poke. Level playing field is essential.”

From Washington Post

The new content is, of course, a pig in a poke, but subscribers will mostly be signing on at this point for the poke itself, a fancy thing stitched together from more hours of back catalog than anyone can watch in a lifetime.

From Los Angeles Times