Idiom
throw a sprat to catch a mackerel
Meaning
To sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“I offered a small discount to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.”
“The company gave away free samples as a way to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel and gain new customers.”
“By investing a modest sum in the initial research phase, the firm hoped to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel, anticipating a massive return on their long-term development project.”
Examples
simple
“I offered a small discount to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel.”
contextual
“The company gave away free samples as a way to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel and gain new customers.”
complex
“By investing a modest sum in the initial research phase, the firm hoped to throw a sprat to catch a mackerel, anticipating a massive return on their long-term development project.”
Key words
Related idioms
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