pull a fast one on
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (Phrasal Verb): - To deceive or trick someone, often in a clever or sneaky way: This phrase means to successfully fool or cheat someone, typically through cunning or a dishonest scheme.
Usage
This phrasal verb is informal and is used to describe an act of deception. It implies the deception was executed skillfully, catching the victim off guard. - It is transitive and requires a direct object (the person being deceived). - Often used in past tense to describe a completed trick.
Examples
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often carries a tone of grudging admiration for the trickster's cleverness, even when criticizing the dishonesty.
- It can be used in a wide range of contexts, from minor pranks to serious financial fraud.
Variants and Related Words
- Pull a stunt on (someone): To do something foolish, daring, or deceptive.
- Put one over on (someone): A very close synonym meaning to deceive or outsmart someone.
Synonyms
- Trick: To deceive or outwit.
- Deceive: To cause someone to believe something that is not true.
- Hoodwink: To deceive or trick.
- Bamboozle: To confuse or fool someone.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Take in: To deceive or cheat.
- We were taken in by his smooth talk.
- Do out of: To cheat someone out of something.
- He did me out of my fair share.
Related Idioms
- Pull the wool over someone's eyes: To deceive someone.
- You can't pull the wool over my eyes; I know what's really going on.
- Lead someone up the garden path: To mislead or deceive someone.
- Get one over on (someone): Similar to "put one over on," meaning to gain an advantage over someone, often by deception.
Verb
- deceive somebody
- We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week