palm off
To sell or dispose of (something) with the intent to deceive; to attempt to pass off a counterfeit or inferior product as genuine.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He tried to palm off a fake watch as a real one.”
“You cannot palm off those cheap plastic toys as high-quality gifts.”
“The dishonest dealer attempted to palm off a broken camera on an unsuspecting tourist at the market.”
“The store manager tried to palm off the old floor model on me instead of giving me a brand new television from the warehouse.”
“My coworker always tries to palm off his boring paperwork on the new interns so he can leave the office early.”
“Despite his polished sales pitch, the merchant could not palm off the inferior goods on the experienced buyer, who immediately recognized the poor craftsmanship.”
From the 17th-century practice of palming, a technique in sleight of hand where a performer secretly retains an object in the palm of the hand. The term originates from the method of concealing a desirable item while ostensibly passing or leaving an undesired one, a deception achieved through manual dexterity rather than honest exchange.
Last updated August 10, 2026