Pig in a poke


A pig in a poke is a thing that is bought without first being inspected, and thus of unknown authenticity or quality. The idiom is attested in 1555:

I wyll neuer bye the pyg in the poke
Thers many a foule pyg in a feyre cloke
A "poke" is a bag, so the image is of a concealed item being sold.
Starting in the 19th century, this idiom was explained as a confidence 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, hence the expression "letting the cat out of the bag", meaning to reveal that which is secret. The French idiom acheter chat en poche and the Dutch een kat in de zak kopen refer to an actual scam of this nature, as do many other European equivalents, while the English expression refers to the appearance of the trick. The English idiom "sold a pup" refers to a similar con.
In common law, buyers have the right to inspect goods before purchase.

Etymology

A poke is a sack or bag, from French poque, which is also the etymon of "pocket", "pouch", and "poach". Poke is still in regional use. Pigs were formerly brought to market for sale in a cloth bag, a poke.

Relation to other idioms and expressions

The English colloquialisms such as turn out to be a pig in a poke or buy a pig in a poke mean that something is sold or bought without the buyer knowing its true nature or value, especially when buying without inspecting the item beforehand. The phrase can also be applied to accepting an idea or plan without a full understanding of its basis. Similar expressions exist in other European languages, most of them referring to the purchase of a cat in a bag.
LanguagePhraseTranslation
Arabicيشتري سمك في ماءto buy fish in water
Bulgarianда купиш котка в торбаto buy a cat in a bag
CatalanDonar/Prendre gat per llebreto give/to take cat instead of hare
Chinese隔山买老牛buy a cow over there in another mountain
Croatiankupiti mačka u vrećito buy a cat in a sack
Czechkoupit zajíce v pytlito buy a hare in a sack
Danishat købe katten i sækkento buy the cat in the sack
Dutcheen kat in de zak kopento buy a cat in the sack
Estonianostma põrsast kotisto buy a piglet in a sack
Frenchacheter un chat dans un sac
acheter chat en poche		to buy a cat in a bag
Finnishostaa sika säkissäto buy a pig in a sack
German:de:Liste deutscher Redewendungen#Die Katze im Sack kaufento buy the cat in the sack
Greekαγοράζω γουρούνι στο σακκίto buy a pig in a sack
Hebrewחתול בשקcat in a sack
Hungarianzsákbamacskacat in a sack
Icelandicað kaupa köttinn í sekknumto buy the cat in the sack
Indonesiankucing dalam karungcat in a sack
Irishceannaigh muc i málabuying a pig in a bag
Italiancomprare a scatola chiusato buy in a sealed box
Latvianpirkt kaķi maisāto buy a cat in a sack
Lithuanianpirkti katę maišeto buy a cat in a sack
Luxembourgishd'Kaz am Sak kafento buy the cat in a sack
Macedonianда купиш мачка во вреќаto buy the cat in the sack
Maltesextara l-ħut fil-baħarto buy fish in the sea
Norwegiankjøpe katta i sekkento buy the cat in the sack
Polishkupić kota w workuto buy a cat in a sack
Portuguesecomprar gato por lebreto buy a cat instead of a hare
Romaniancumperi mâța în sacto buy the cat in the bag
Russianкупить кота в мешкеto buy a cat in a sack
Serbianкупити мачку у џакуto buy a cat in a sack
Slovakkúpiť mačku vo vrecito buy a cat in a sack
Slovenekupiti mačka v žakljuto buy a cat in a sack
Spanishdar/pasar gato por liebreto give a cat instead of a hare
Swedishköpa grisen i säckento buy the pig in the sack
Vietnamesemua mèo trong bịto buy a cat in a bag
Welshprynu cath mewn cwdto buy a cat in a bag
Zuluukuthenga ingulube esesakenito buy a pig in a sack

Use in popular culture

In the April 1929 edition of the literary magazine London Aphrodite, a story by Rhys Davies, titled "A Pig in a Poke", was published, in which a Welsh collier takes a woman from London for his wife and regrets it.