bait-and-switch

[ beyt-n-swich ]

adjective

1. denoting a deceptive method of selling, by which customers, attracted to a store by sale items, are told either that the advertised bargain item is out of stock or is inferior to a higher-priced item that is available.

noun

1. an act or instance of such practice.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bait-and-switch¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Idioms and Phrases

A deceptive commercial practice in which customers are induced to visit a store by an advertised sale item and then are told that it is out of stock or that it is far inferior to some more expensive item. For example, I won't buy a car from this outfit; they're notorious for their bait and switch tactics . The verb to bait has meant to supply a hook or trap with a morsel of food so as to attract a fish or animal since about 1300; the verb to switch has meant to change, alter, or transfer from one thing to another since the 1890s. The pairing of the two, however, dates only from the 1920s, although the practice is surely much older. It is called switch-selling in Britain.

Example Sentences

That ended up being the ’90s-alt-tinged opener, “Gateway Drug,” which is a bait-and-switch thanks to her soft vocals and some heavy guitar riffs.

From Los Angeles Times

And loyalty programs have evolved into something more sophisticated than today’s bait-and-switch cards that just make you spend more.

From Seattle Times

Jatahy, a Brazilian director who has a significant following in France, has performed this sort of bait-and-switch with classics before.

From New York Times

Jeremiah Gibson, a couples therapist who hosts the Sexvangelicals podcast with his wife and fellow therapist Julia Postema, told Salon that the sex-and-relationships material that dominates the Christian influencer world is a form of bait-and-switch.

From Salon

One of the judges noted that after years of lauding race-neutral alternatives to racial preferences, it would constitute a “judicial bait-and-switch” for judges to now question the very approach they’d championed.

From Slate

Related Words

• chicanery
• deceit
• dishonesty
• razzle-dazzle
• scam
• shell game
• stunt