# pig in a poke

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pig-in-a-poke
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.