Meanings
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.
How to pronounce "pig in a poke":
AU
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.
Example Sentences
1
Be careful when buying a used car online, as you might end up with a pig in a poke.
2
I learned my lesson about buying clothes online without trying them on first - it's like buying a pig in a poke.
3
Don't be fooled by their promises of a great deal; it could be a pig in a poke.
4
He thought he was getting a genuine antique at the auction, but it turned out to be a pig in a poke.
5
I don't want to buy that expensive gadget before reading reviews; I refuse to buy a pig in a poke.