fool's bargain

idiom

Meaning

A bad bargain; one that leaves the person accepting it worse off.

Examples

SIMPLE

Trading your reliable car for this broken one is a fool's bargain.

CONTEXTUAL

The salesman offered a low price for my house, but I knew it was a fool's bargain.

COMPLEX

By sacrificing his integrity for a temporary promotion, he entered into a fool's bargain that would eventually cost him his professional reputation.

Anchors to

bargain

Related idioms2entries

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.