pig in a poke
pig in a poke
Meaning
- something that is bought without examining properly
- an offer or deal that is accepted without properly evaluating it first
- buying something without looking at it
Example Sentences
- If you buy a used car without examining it thoroughly first, you might end up buying a pig in a poke.
- Though online shopping has gained huge popularity, it can sometimes be something of a pig in a poke, as you cannot see what really you are buying.
- Instead of trusting your agent and ending up buying a pig in a poke, why don’t you go and have a look at it first?
- I am afraid if I accept that offer, I might end up with a pig in a poke.
- I am not closing that deal until I have all the details of what they are offering. I don’t want to end up having got a pig in a poke.
- The package I bought turned out to a pig in a poke.
Origin
The phrase is quite an ancient one and has been used in the literal sense. A poke is a sack or a bag. The idiom implies that if a a pig is bought when it is in a poke, or bag, the customer might be cheated. Written citations of the phrase have been found since the mid 1500s.
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Farmers would take their pigs to market to sell, but the runt often stayed home for dinner or ended up in a bag (a “pig in a poke”). It was then hawked in the crowd outside the auction house. A buyer knew it was alive because it moved and squealed, so you could tell it was a pig. But if you were buying one this way, you were still gambling on what you were getting.
‒ Glenn Claypoole December 10, 2025