att köpa grisen i säcken
Meaning: To make a purchase or agreement without inspecting or understanding what you're actually getting.
Language: Swedish
Literally: to buy the pig in the sack
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A Swedish adaptation of the German die Katze im Sack kaufen (to buy the cat in the sack), itself tied to a folk tale about Till Eulenspiegel, the trickster figure of German and Dutch folklore, who reportedly once sold a cat to an unsuspecting buyer by passing it off as a hare. The underlying practice being satirized was genuine: piglets, chickens, and other small livestock really were commonly sold at market pre-bagged in a sealed sack for easier transport, and a buyer who didn't insist on actually looking inside before paying risked discovering, only once safely back home, that a cat or some other far less valuable animal had been substituted for the piglet they thought they were buying. The closely related expression "släppa katten ur säcken" (letting the cat out of the bag) — revealing a previously hidden truth — comes from the exact same historical practice and period.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: Die Katze im Sack kaufen — literally: To buy the cat in the sack
- French: Acheter chat en poche — literally: To buy a cat in a bag
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More Swedish idioms
- att vara rädd som en hare — To be extremely fearful and jumpy, ready to flee at the slightest danger.
- Skägget i brevlådan — Caught red-handed in an awkward, embarrassing position.
- Ana ugglor i mossen — To sense that something fishy is going on.
- Lägga rabarber på något — To claim or grab something for yourself.
- Nu har du satt din sista potatis — You've done your last misdeed; you're finished.
- Att göra en pudel — To make a public, groveling apology.
From our compliments & insults
- Sei una persona d'oro — You're genuinely wonderful — kind, trustworthy, and precious to have in one's life.
- Che spettacolo! — You look absolutely stunning — a spontaneous burst of admiration for someone's appearance.
- Du bist ein Goldstück — You're a real gem — priceless, irreplaceable, and deeply appreciated.