Definition
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.
Origins
Reportedly from the practice of substituting a butchered cat, etc. for a suckling pig when sold in a sack at a market. Other theories circulate but all involve the purchase of a cat in a bag, where the buyer expected better. poke refers to a bag or sack, and is related to pouch.
See Also
- puss in a bag
- sell someone a pup
- I have a bridge to sell you
- let the cat out of the bag
How People Actually Use It
Litterally, 'a pig in a bag or a sack'. Buying something sight unseen. Usually resulting in buyer's remorse. This saying is found mostly in the southern states.
""I should have known better tha to by a I-pod on E-bay, it turns out it was a cassette recorder" "Well, you should know better than to buy a pig in a poke.""
Source: Urban Dictionary