One of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
Deceive (someone) into accepting something false.‘he was astute–no one was going to put one over on him’
deceive, trick, hoodwink, mislead, lead astray, delude, fool, take in, dupe, outwit, steal a march on, throw off the scent, put on the wrong trackView synonyms
- ‘The liar enjoys the feeling of power gained from putting one over on somebody.’
- ‘Public skepticism of schemes of this kind might diminish if the officials in charge didn't act like they were trying to put one over on us.’
- ‘Had he put one over on the experienced politician?’
- ‘The get-rich-quick merchants perhaps gain some personal satisfaction from having put one over on their unsuspecting and perhaps too trusting clientele, but in fact rarely get rich.’
- ‘A familiar urban legend plot involves a member of a tribal or ethnic group who decides to put one over on some English speakers by slipping an inappropriate phrase from his native language into their domain.’
- ‘‘You'd be surprised,’ he told me flintily, ‘how many people try to put one over on us.’’
- ‘Or do they pretend not to defy him, while secretly preparing to put one over on him?’
- ‘Rather than seeing this as your potential partner trying to put one over on you, it's best to see it as his or her attorney doing his job, which is to protect his client.’
- ‘I think that they were guilty merely of trying to put one over on a man who was acting as a gullible fool.’
- ‘But don't try to put one over on him: ‘If I get the feeling I'm being jerked around, then I want the forfeit.’’
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