sell someone a bill of goods, to
sell someone a bill of goods, to - To cheat or defraud someone. A “bill of goods,” in commercial language, is a quantity or consignment of merchandise. Selling it here means persuading someone to accept something undesirable. The term dates from the early twentieth century. The playwright Eugene O’Neill used it in Marco Millions (1924), “Selling a big bill of goods hereabouts, I’ll wager, you old rascals?” Or, in the Toronto Globe and Mail (Feb. 17, 1968), “There was no production bonus . . . we were sold a bill of goods.”
Synonyms
- Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
- Take for a ride
- Lead down the garden path
- Bamboozle
Antonyms
- To be transparent
- Tell the truth
- Lay cards on the table
- Come clean
Related Terms
- Snake oil: A substance with no real medicinal value sold as a remedy for all diseases.
- Scammer: A person who commits fraud or participates in swindling.
- Con artist: A person who cheats or tricks others by persuading them to believe something false.
Humor-Filled Quotes
- “In the game of life, sometimes you’re the customer, and sometimes you’re sold a questionable bill of goods.” - Anon
- “Life is too important to be taken seriously, which is why we get sold so many bills of goods.” - Oscar Wilde (ish)
Proverbs and Expressions
- “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”
- “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
- “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
Cultural References
- The Sting (1973): A classic film where a big con is at the heart of the plot.
- Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale: The real-life story of a master of deception.
- “Master of Puppets” by Metallica - A song highlighting the manipulation and deceit drawn by addiction.
Suggested Literature
- The Confidence-Man by Herman Melville - A classic novel exploring themes of deception and disguised intentions.
- Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - Often about the absurdity and trickery within the bureaucratic military.
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Filled with characters who invent and sell their own bills of goods.
Suggested Movies
- Ocean’s Eleven (2001) - A star-studded cast plotting an impossible heist filled with deception and trickery.
- Matchstick Men (2003) - A dark comedy-drama focusing on con men and their complex schemes.
- The Truman Show (1998) - Trapping the protagonist in a fabricated world sold to millions, unbeknownst to him.
Solo on Inspirational and Thought-provoking
Fraud exists whenever there is trust committed to profit. But remember: wisdom comes from tales where fools sold a ‘bill of goods,’ prompting us to scrutinize softly smiling façades shading sinister secrets.
Wendell Thesaurus, October 6, 2023 “Question with boldness even the grandest bargains, and thus, you will curtail being sold undesirable bills of goods.”
