A ''pig in a poke'' is a thing that is bought without first being inspected, and thus of unknown authenticity or quality. The
idiom
An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language ...
is attested in 1555:
I wyll neuer bye the pyg in the poke
Thers many a foule pyg in a feyre cloke
A "poke" is a bag, so the image is of a concealed item being sold.
Starting in the 19th century, this idiom was explained as a
confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers h ...
where a farmer would substitute a cat for a suckling pig when bringing it to market. When the buyer discovered the deception, he was said to "let the cat out of the bag", that is, to learn of something unfortunate prematurely, hence the expression "
letting the cat out of the bag
Letting the cat out of the bag (also ...box) is a colloquialism meaning to reveal facts previously hidden. It could refer to revealing a conspiracy (friendly or not) to its target, letting an outsider into an inner circle of knowledge (e.g., expla ...
", meaning ''to reveal that which is secret''.
The French idiom ''acheter (un) chat en poche'' and the Dutch ''een kat in de zak kopen'' and also the German ''die Katze im Sack kaufen'' (all: to buy a cat in a bag) refer to an actual
scam
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers hav ...
of this nature, as do many other European equivalents, while the English expression refers to the appearance of the trick.
[Brewer, ''Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', 1898.] The English idiom "sold a pup" refers to a similar con.
In
common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omniprese ...
, buyers have the right to inspect goods before purchase.
Etymology
A ''poke'' is a sack or bag, from French ''poque'', which is also the etymon of "pocket", "pouch", and "poach".
['']Oxford English Dictionary
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a c ...
'', 3rd Edition, ''s.v.v.'' ''Poke'' is still in regional use. Pigs were formerly brought to market for sale in a cloth bag, a poke.
Relation to other idioms and expressions
The English colloquialisms such as ''turn out to be a pig in a poke'' or ''buy a pig in a poke'' mean that something is sold or bought without the buyer knowing its true nature or value, especially when buying without inspecting the item beforehand. The phrase can also be applied to accepting an idea or plan without a full understanding of its basis. Similar expressions exist in other European languages, most of them referring to the purchase of a cat in a bag.
Use in popular culture
In the April 1929 edition of the literary magazine
''London Aphrodite'', a story by
Rhys Davies, titled "A Pig in a Poke", was published, in which a Welsh coal miner takes a woman from London for his wife and regrets it.
(Boulton 1993: p. 278)
In the 1985 film ''
National Lampoon's European Vacation
''National Lampoon's European Vacation'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane. The second film in National Lampoon's ''Vacation'' film series, it stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Dana Hill, ...
'', the Griswold family wins the vacation on a game show called "Pig in a Poke".
See also
*
Cultural references to pigs
*
Green goods scam
The green goods scam, also known as the "green goods game", was a fraud scheme popular in the 19th-century United States in which people were duped into paying for worthless counterfeit money. It is a variation on the pig-in-a-poke scam using mon ...
*
Lipstick on a pig
*
Impulse purchase
References
Bibliography
* E. Cobham Brewer
''Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'' 1898.
*
Funk, Charles Earle, ''A Hog on Ice: & Other Curious Expressions''. HarperResource, 2002. .
{{Scams and confidence tricks
Confidence tricks
Deception
English-language idioms
Metaphors referring to pigs