fool's bargain
A bad bargain; one that leaves the person accepting it worse off.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Trading your reliable car for this broken one is a fool's bargain.”
“The salesman offered a low price for my house, but I knew it was a fool's bargain.”
“By sacrificing his integrity for a temporary promotion, he entered into a fool's bargain that would eventually cost him his professional reputation.”
- 01
drive a hard bargain
To negotiate forcefully.
- 02
Faustian bargain
An agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other benefits.
- 03
more than one bargained for
An unexpected and (usually) unwanted result of a decision or action.
- 04
one of His Majesty's bad bargains
An incapable (sick, etc) or incompetent soldier.
- 05
sell bargains
To make saucy (usually indiscreet) comments; to come onto.
Last updated August 10, 2026