Friday, March 28, 2008

A-pig-in-a-poke.

Robert went over and met the attorney that owns the infamous parking lot next to our house. Robert wanted to give him a heads up on the fact that we would be starting construction downstairs, which would mean repairing the wall, that has been damaged because of water from the parking lot berm being up against the wall. The attorney was cordial, however he said we had bought a "pig-in-a poke." Whatever that means. Well, our friend Ellie sent me this definition:
Pig-in-a-poke is an idiom that refers to a confidence trick originating in the Late Middle Ages, when meat was scarce but apparently rats and cats were not.The scheme entailed the sale of a "suckling pig" in a "poke" (bag). The wriggling bag actually contained a cat—not particularly prized as a source of meat—that was sold unopened to the victim. A common colloquial expression in the English language, to "buy a pig in a poke," is to make a risky purchase without inspecting the item beforehand. The phrase can also be applied to accepting an idea or plan without a full understanding of its basis.
Well, he could be right we may have bought a pig-in-a-poke, but it is ours and we like it.

1 comment:

reverendrockstar said...

Very interesting...I think I missed that one on the SAT.