A bill of goods
Posted by ESC on December 20, 1999
In Reply to: A bill of goods posted by Patty on December 19, 1999
: What does "they sold them a bill of goods" or "a bill a goods" mean? Thank you.
We had a discussion of this phrase a while back. Here's what was
said:
BILL OF GOODS - The question was: "What does the phrase "bill of
goods" mean. I think it means that something is a bunch of crap
but i'm not totally sure. Could someone please clear this up for
me!" The Phrase Finder answer: Posted by Harry on November 05, 1999
"The phrase 'sell someone a bill of goods' means to
intentionally misrepresent something, to make something worthless
seem valuable. It dates from the 1920's. I'm not sure what the origin
of the phrase is -- perhaps it means selling someone a description
of the goods rather than the goods themselves. To 'sell someone
a bill of goods' means to put one over on him. Make him believe
a bunch of baloney. Or, as the 'World Book Dictionary' puts it:
'sell a bill of goods, Slang, to mislead or seek to mislead by a
specious or false argument, set of facts, or other deception...'
I've not yet been able to find the origin or roots of the phrase.
But that's what it means. When goods were traded throughout Europe
in the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly shiploads of goods
such as spices from exotic corners of Africa and the Far East, their
value changed dramatically as the quantity available varied. This
variation was down to the hazards of the journeys - 2 to 3 years
not an atypical duration - news was scarce and unreliable, and the
first ship home commanded a huge premium for its cargo. Goods were
regularly traded prior to the ship's arrival and misinformation
often gave an unscrupulous owner an unfair advantage as he traded
his goods for a price they would never eventually command due to
lateness, spoilage or even non-existence due to loss at sea. To
be sold a bill of goods therefore was to buy sight unseen and hope
your insight and inside knowledge turned a profit on the deal when
the ship came into port: quite often it never did."