# sell someone a pup

> English word · Verb

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

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sell-someone-a-pup