bait and switch
a dishonest sales tactic
TRANSLATION
bait and switch = die Lockvogeltaktik, die Lockangebote bait and switch = jmdn. locken um dann seine Hoffnungen mit etwas Minderwertigem oder Teurerem zu enttäuschen. --- GOOGLE INDEX bait and switch: approximately 5,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
This game of electoral BAIT AND SWITCH is the reason people are cynical about politics and I believe it is a big reason fewer people bother to vote.
(Calgary Herald)
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Goldline agreed to pay $4.5 million last year to settle charges brought by the city attorney of Santa Monica, Calif., accusing the company of running a BAIT-AND-SWITCH operation.
(Washington Post)
(Calgary Herald)
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Goldline agreed to pay $4.5 million last year to settle charges brought by the city attorney of Santa Monica, Calif., accusing the company of running a BAIT-AND-SWITCH operation.
(Washington Post)
Did you
know?
bait and switch
noun phrase
bait-and-switch
adjective phrase
- a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one
- the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
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Bait and switch is a deceptive - and sometimes illegal - tactic used in retail sales, as well as in other contexts. Customers are initially "baited" by an advertisement for products or services at a low price, after which they discover that the promised goods/services are not available (Bait is a small amount of food on a hook or in a special device used to attract and catch a fish or animal). Or the customers are pressured to purchase similar, but higher priced items. This is the "switch."
In politics, bait and switch refers to the practice of proposing minor changes in law with simplistic titles (the bait) with the ultimate objective of substantially changing the wording (the switch) at a later date in order to try to smooth the passage of a controversial or major amendment.
Within the Internet community, a new form of bait and switch has appeared which is called "rickrolling." This involves sending someone a hyperlink that is seemingly relevant to the topic at hand, but which actually takes the person to a video of the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up." Rickrolling can also generally refer to playing a trick on someone.
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"That sounds like a really good offer, but it might be a bait and switch."
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Thanks to Petra for suggesting today's word!
noun phrase
bait-and-switch
adjective phrase
- a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one
- the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
---
Bait and switch is a deceptive - and sometimes illegal - tactic used in retail sales, as well as in other contexts. Customers are initially "baited" by an advertisement for products or services at a low price, after which they discover that the promised goods/services are not available (Bait is a small amount of food on a hook or in a special device used to attract and catch a fish or animal). Or the customers are pressured to purchase similar, but higher priced items. This is the "switch."
In politics, bait and switch refers to the practice of proposing minor changes in law with simplistic titles (the bait) with the ultimate objective of substantially changing the wording (the switch) at a later date in order to try to smooth the passage of a controversial or major amendment.
Within the Internet community, a new form of bait and switch has appeared which is called "rickrolling." This involves sending someone a hyperlink that is seemingly relevant to the topic at hand, but which actually takes the person to a video of the 1987 Rick Astley song "Never Gonna Give You Up." Rickrolling can also generally refer to playing a trick on someone.
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"That sounds like a really good offer, but it might be a bait and switch."
---
Thanks to Petra for suggesting today's word!
