pig in a poke
Something whose true value is concealed or unknown and may be lower than expected by the buyer or claimed by the seller, especially something offered for sale.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I won't buy that car online because it might be a pig in a poke.”
“The apartment looked great in the photos, but I refused to sign the lease without seeing it first to avoid buying a pig in a poke.”
“Investors are often warned that purchasing shares in a company without reviewing its financial records is equivalent to buying a pig in a poke.”
The term arises from the medieval marketplace practice of substituting a less desirable animal, such as a butchered cat, for a suckling pig. The animal would be concealed within a sack, or poke, a word related to the modern pouch. Should the buyer fail to open the bag before the transaction was completed, the substitution remained undiscovered until the contents were inspected at home.
The deception relies entirely on the buyer's willingness to trust the vendor's inventory. While other theories regarding the expression circulate, each involves the purchase of a cat in a bag where the buyer expected something rather more palatable. The transaction concludes only when the bag is opened, an act which is said to let the cat out of the bag and reveal the true nature of the cargo.
- 01
couldn't stop a pig in a passage
To be bow-legged.
- 02
happy as a pig in mud
Very happy or content.
- 03
happy as a pig in shit
Extremely happy; obviously satisfied and carefree.
- 04
if pigs had wings
Never.
- 05
lipstick on a pig
To make superficial or cosmetic changes to something in a doomed attempt to disguise its fundamental flaws.
- 06
make a pig of oneself
To eat to excess; to overeat; to gorge.
- 07
make a pig's ear of
To do badly; to make a mess of.
- 08
make pigs and whistles of
To ruin (something); to make a severe mess of (something).
Last updated August 10, 2026