Apig in a poke is a thing that is bought without first being inspected, and thus of unknown authenticity or quality.[1] Theidiom is attested in 1555:
I wyll neuer bye the pyg in the poke
Thers many a foule pyg in a feyre cloke[2]
I will never buy the pig in the poke
There's many a foul pig in a fair cloak
A "poke" is a sack, so the image is of a concealed item being sold.
Starting in the 19th century, this idiom was explained as aconfidence trick where a farmer would substitute a cat for a suckling pig when bringing it to market. When the buyer discovered the deception, he was said to "let the cat out of the bag", that is, to learn of something unfortunate prematurely,[3] hence the expression "letting the cat out of the bag",[4] meaningto reveal that which is secret.[5] The French idiomacheter (un) chat en poche and the Dutcheen kat in de zak kopen and also the Germandie Katze im Sack kaufen (all: to buy a cat in a bag) refer to an actualscam of this nature, as do many other European equivalents, while the English expression refers to the appearance of the trick.[5] The English idiom "sold a pup" refers to a similar con.[6] Other variations include "buy a fish in water" (Arabic), "buy a cow on another mountain" (Chinese), "buy in a closed box" (Italian) and "buy a cat instead of a hare" (Iberian languages).
Incommon law, buyers have the right to inspect goods before purchase.[7][8]
Apoke is a sack or bag, from Frenchpoque, which is also the etymon of "pocket", "pouch", and "poach".[9]Poke is still in regional use. Pigs were formerly brought to market for sale in a cloth bag, a poke.
In the April 1929 edition of the literary magazineThe London Aphrodite, a story byRhys Davies, titled "A Pig in a Poke", was published, in which a Welsh coal miner takes a woman from London for his wife and regrets it.[10]
In the 1985 filmNational Lampoon's European Vacation, the Griswold family wins the vacation on a game show called "Pig in a Poke".
