BAIT-AND-SWITCH Definition & Meaning

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bait-and-switch

[ beyt-n-swich ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

denoting a deceptive method of selling, by which customers, attracted to a store by sale items, are told either that the advertised bargain item is out of stock or is inferior to a higher-priced item that is available.

noun

an act or instance of such practice.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of bait-and-switch¹

First recorded in 1955–60

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Idioms and Phrases

A deceptive commercial practice in which customers are induced to visit a store by an advertised sale item and then are told that it is out of stock or that it is far inferior to some more expensive item. For example, I won't buy a car from this outfit; they're notorious for their bait and switch tactics . The verb to bait has meant to supply a hook or trap with a morsel of food so as to attract a fish or animal since about 1300; the verb to switch has meant to change, alter, or transfer from one thing to another since the 1890s. The pairing of the two, however, dates only from the 1920s, although the practice is surely much older. It is called switch-selling in Britain.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Whether or not his supporters are happy with the cynical bait-and-switch, it’s the whole trans community that’s now left fighting for survival.

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The former brings crackling Paul Greengrass-like energy to a young family’s engagement with America’s bait-and-switch immigration system.

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After all, we’ve seen this movie before, and it turned out to be a bait-and-switch.

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Kotb’s former third-hour co-host Kathie Lee Gifford pulled a bait-and-switch and surprised her colleague with an in-studio appearance after claiming in a video tribute that she couldn’t make it because she was tied up with other obligations in Tennessee.

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That ended up being the ’90s-alt-tinged opener, “Gateway Drug,” which is a bait-and-switch thanks to her soft vocals and some heavy guitar riffs.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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