Dar gato por liebre
Meaning: To swindle by passing off something inferior as the real thing.
Language: Spanish
Literally: To give cat instead of hare
Category: Animals
Origin: Shady medieval inns were accused of serving cheap cat meat as costly hare; diners even had a verse to bless the dish, just in case.
More idioms — Animals
- Tagliare la testa al toro — To settle a matter decisively, once and for all.
- 猫の額 (Neko no hitai) — A very small space, especially of land.
- Водить за нос (Vodit' za nos) — To deceive or string someone along.
- Nem que a vaca tussa — No way; under no circumstances.
- 亡羊补牢 (Wáng yáng bǔ láo) — It's not too late to act after a setback to prevent further loss.
- Passer du coq à l'âne — To switch topics abruptly and illogically.
More Spanish idioms
- Importar un pepino — To not care in the slightest.
- Ponerse las pilas — To get your act together and start working hard.
- Estar en el ajo — To be in on a secret or scheme.
- Ser la oveja negra — To be the outcast of the family or group.
- Echar leña al fuego — To make a bad situation worse.
- Tener más cara que espalda — To be utterly shameless and brazen.
From our proverbs
- Agues come on horseback, but go away on foot. — Sickness arrives suddenly but lingers, leaving far more slowly than it came.
- A man cannot live by the air. — No one survives on nothing; real sustenance, not mere hope, is required.
- Good ale is meat, drink, and cloth. — A hearty drink can seem to nourish, refresh, and warm you all at once.